


Sanguine

by anavoli, Red_X



Category: Miraculous Ladybug, Teen Titans - All Media Types
Genre: But most of the story is within the ML Universe, Crossover, F/M, Gen, Identity Reveal, So it's okay if you don't have Teen Titans knowledge!
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-03
Updated: 2018-08-24
Packaged: 2018-11-08 15:22:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 28,988
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11084394
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/anavoli/pseuds/anavoli, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Red_X/pseuds/Red_X
Summary: Growing increasingly frustrated with failed akuma attempts, Hawkmoth hires an expert thief, Red X, and brings him to France to steal the Miraculouses from Ladybug and Chat Noir. They soon learn, however, that Hawkmoth’s actions may have tipped the dominoes for misfortune to strike in Paris.





	1. Zeroes

**Author's Note:**

> Sanguine: _(adj)_ optimistic or positive, especially in an apparently bad or difficult situation; _(noun)_ blood-red
> 
> Story/concept is by Red_X, but the story is written by me.

“I have a proposal for you.”

Wearing his signature mask with a blood-red X across the face, Red X carefully hides his suspicion. It is not unusual for criminals to contact him, looking for an expert thief to do their dirty work, but there is something different about this...Hawkmoth, as he introduced himself.

For starters, X can’t see his face. The room that Hawkmoth sits in is mostly dark, but the camera is tilted down so only his torso is in frame. X can tell that he is the classy type, judging by his purple suit with black lapels and a curious moth-shaped brooch on his collar.

X tilts his head in acknowledgement. “Let’s hear it then.”

The other man leans forward on his cane. “I have heard of your exploits in America...I was quite impressed to see how many times you have outsmarted the Teen Titans.”

“Robin and his gang are nothing to me.” X smirks. “Every costumed hero is the same; figure out what they want most in the world and use it against them.”

“Then I am sure you are up for more difficult challenges.”

“What do you have for me, exactly?”

“There is something I want. Two ancient artifacts, called the Miraculouses.”

X can’t help but chuckle at that. “Miraculouses? Sounds like a child’s toy.”

“Make no mistake.” Hawkmoth shows him the image of a pair of red spotted earrings and a black pawprint ring on the screen. “The Miraculous are powerful. They are what give the current owners, Ladybug and Chat Noir, their abilities.”

The image is replaced by a photo of two children, striking an action pose in leotards. This time, X laughs out loud.

“They’re _kids_. What’s so scary about them?”

“Somehow, they have managed to outwit me each time I have gotten close to stealing the Miraculouses from them.” Hawkmoth tenses, barely concealing his frustration. “Do not underestimate them. These children are not to be toyed with.”

“Sounds like a personal problem.” X shrugs. “I might be a petty thief, but stealing from kids sounds like too much effort for what it’s worth. Thanks for contacting me but--”

Hawkmoth cuts in, calmly. “The job will pay 100,000,000 American Dollars. Perhaps that will change your mind.”

X’s ears perk at that. “I’m listening.”

Hawkmoth continues. “I need an expert thief, someone that Ladybug and Chat Noir are not familiar with. You will come to Paris and study these heroes, striking with the element of surprise on your side.”

“I dunno...I’m still confused as to why you can’t do this yourself. You seem like a powerful guy, definitely have connections. How did you let two kids wearing glorified leotards get the best of you?”

“You think you are so clever. I know everything about you, Red X, everything that has happened to you. I seem to recall several instances when the Teen Titans took your power belt away and rendered you defenseless.”

“I stole the belt back,” X snarls. “No matter how many times Robin tries to get rid of me, I always come out on top.”

“Fair enough.” Hawkmoth rubs the top of his cane. “Even so, you know that even the best of the best can be defeated. You should be careful that your arrogance does not get in the way of your better judgement.”

“And I would be sure that my ‘better judgement’ doesn’t cause me to make silly mistakes.”

“Then prove to me that you are the thief they say you are. What do you have to lose?”

X crosses his arms. “You really want those Miraculouses. Why?”

“That is of no importance to you.” Hawkmoth begins to stand. “But very well, if you reject my proposal, I can find another thief who is willing to do it.”

“Fine.” X stops him. “I’ll come to Paris and steal some jewelry for you. I hope I’m flying First Class.”

“Of course. And...as a gesture of goodwill, all that money will be paid to you upfront.”

“Huh. Well, can’t say I complain.”

“You will be in Paris by morning. I trust you can make all the necessary arrangements.”

“Of course. It will only be slightly more difficult than taking the Miraculouses.”

“I do not like to be disappointed, Red X. We will be in contact. Best of luck.”

With that, Hawkmoth signs off. Seconds later, X gets a notification from his bank account, seeing that his balance has significantly increased in zeroes.

“Good job, X.” He pats himself on the back. “Rich tycoon played right into your fingers. This is going to be a piece of cake.”

He thinks of all the museums and expensive artifacts in Paris. Miraculouses aside, this job is starting to sound better and better.

-x-

Adrien Agreste groans, staring at the giant zero that seems to be bleeding on his returned test.

“I’m surprised, Adrien.” Miss Bustier frowns. “It’s not like you to do so poorly on an exam. Remember, if you are confused about any of the topics, it is up to _you_ to ask questions during class or after school.”

“Yes, Miss Bustier,” Adrien nods. “I understand.”

Plagg sticks out his head out of the bag and peeks at the score. “Yikes.” He winces. “Soon your grade’s gonna be as bad as your chances with Ladybug are.”

“Shh!” Adrien shoves the kwami back into his backpack

“Dude,” Nino Lahiffe leans over as Miss Bustier continues to pass back exams. “What happened? I thought you did a lot of studying last week.”

“Um, I did,” Adrien bluffs. The truth is, he wasn’t able to study for this test at all. Even though he tried to set aside time to go over his notes and catch up on reading, there had been akuma attacks all week. Studying had to wait until Chat Noir saved the day, but by that point he was too exhausted to concentrate on much at all.

“And you didn’t get a single point? I don’t believe that.” Nino crosses his arms. “Is something going on? Every time I asked if you wanted to hang out, you said you had to study. What were you _really_ doing?”

“I’m sorry, Nino,” Adrien sighs. “It’s just been...really hard to focus. And I’ve been super busy with modeling and everything…”

“Tell your dad to lighten the load!” Nino urges. “School is just as important as your career.”

At the mention of Gabriel Agreste, Adrien feels fear settle low in his stomach. “Oh no...my father will kill me when he finds out how badly I did on this test.”

“Yeah...that’s not going to be a fun conversation.” Nino shakes his head and places a comforting hand on Adrien’s shoulder. “Hey, don’t worry about it. I’ll help you study for the next test.”

Adrien smiles at that. “Thanks, Nino. You’re the best.”

Nino turns to talk to Alya Césaire. “Hey, Alya. Would you be interested in helping Adrien too? Our study group last time was really effective.”

Alya grins. “Of course! I’d be happy to.”

Adrien nods at her gratefully. “I really appreciate it, you guys.”

“I’ll drag Marinette there,” Alya muses. “She can definitely use the help too.”

“Where is Marinette, anyway?” Adrien wonders, noticing the empty seat next to Alya. “She’s usually right on time.”

Alya shrugs. “Beats me. I texted her but she’s not even answering. I hope she’s not still sleeping.”

“That wouldn’t be good,” Adrien agrees.

Just then, Alya’s phone beeps. She quickly checks it and her face lights up.

“Marinette?” Nino asks.

“No, it’s another comment on the Ladyblog.” She flips the phone so they can see the screen. “Did you guys hear about that amazing save against Gemstone yesterday? She jumped down from a building as it was turning into sand and destroyed the akuma right in the nick of time!”

Adrien’s cheeks grow warm as he thinks about his crush. He had been able to witness that move up close and personal. “She’s amazing.”

“She really is.” Alya beams.

-x-

Several streets away, Marinette Dupain-Cheng rushes to school, backpack still unzipped over one shoulder while she shoves the last of a pastry into her mouth.

“Hurh gid ay scheep in!?” she mutters around her food.

Tikki sighs, flitting around Marinette and shoving flyaway papers back into the bag. “Marinette, I can’t understand you,” she chirps.

Marinette swallows. “How did I sleep in?” she cries, looking side to side hurriedly before running across the street. “This is the fifth time this month!”

“That’s not good,” Tikki wrings her hands. “Your parents won’t be happy…”

“And I can’t tell them that the reason why I’ve been late so much is because there have been so many akuma attacks lately since Hawkmoth can’t leave us alone and I’m _Ladybug_ so I don’t have enough time for sleeping or studying anymore.”

“Well don’t lose your homework, that will just bring down your grade even more.” Tikki finally manages to pull up the zipper on Marinette’s backpack.

“Oh no.” Marinette stops in her tracks. “Miss Bustier hands back the exam scores today! And I’m late! Of course this happens to me.”

Shaking her head again, Marinette continues to run. Tikki settles on her shoulder, holding on for dear life.

“Don’t worry, Marinette,” she comforts. “I’m sure you can figure out the balance soon.”

“I hope so,” Marinette sighs. “Everyone’s going to be so upset with me--”

“Ladybug and Chat Noir are terrorizing our city!”

Marinette whips her head towards the voice. Just across the street, a single picketer holds a sign reading ‘STOP THE SUITED VIGILANTES’ while shouting at passersby.

“Who is that?” Marinette steps closer to try and catch a glimpse of the protester's face. “I’m going to take a closer look.”

“Be careful, Marinette!” Tikki squeaks, flying into her typical hiding spot.

As soon as she gets closer, Marinette realizes that it’s none other than Victoire Leroy. She’s just a small jewelry business owner, familiar acquaintance of the Dupain-Chengs, but Marinette also recognizes her as the latest akuma victim.

“These so-called heroes fly about the city, unchecked, and claim to be protecting us!” Victoire continues. “No one is safe anymore!”

“They _are_ protecting us!” Marinette fires back, unable to help herself. “Paris would be overrun with akuma without them.”

“Then why haven’t the attacks stopped? Ever since Ladybug and Chat Noir began defending our city, the number of akuma attacks have only increased!” Victoire waves around a flyer with statistics.

“I--” Marinette is unable to come up with a proper response.

“I will call them heroes when I see results.” Victoire pushes up her glasses, eyes piercing and determined. “Not before.”

Marinette feels a small tug at her shirt.

“This isn’t looking good...we should leave,” Tikki whispers.

Conceding, Marinette turns back to the school, still mulling over Victoire’s words in her head.

“She’s right, Tikki...Hawkmoth hasn’t let up since we began. People are just getting more and more scared and there’s nothing I can do about it.”

Tikki looks at her sadly. “Oh Marinette, it’s not up to you make everyone happy. All you can do is keep fighting for them and eventually they’ll appreciate what you’re doing.”

“It’s difficult,” Marinette sighs. “Look at me, I’m exhausted after an entire week of akuma fights. You must be tired too. At some point, we won’t be able to keep up.”

She stops in front of the steps to her school. Suddenly the thought of facing the rest of the day, with its normal, everyday problems, seems overwhelming.

“Maybe it’s time to bring the fight to Hawkmoth.”

-x-

“Welcome to Paris.” The airport customs officer holds out her hand. “Papers, please.”

“Of course, darling.” Red X, wearing civilian attire, smiles charmingly at the officer.

Unamused, she looks over his passport critically. “What are you doing in Paris, Monsieur Todd?”

“Please, call me Jason.” X smirks. The false name he chose is a bit ironic, and he never thought he would use it again, but it gets the job done.

“I’m in France for some...business,” he answers.

“I see.” The officer stamps his passport and slides it back across the counter. “Well, have a nice day. Next!”

“I will, thank you.” X pockets his passport and continues through the airport.

As he passes by the expensive shops lining the terminal, X eyes the sparkling jewelry and expensive handbags.

“I came to the right place indeed,” he murmurs.

-x-

Miles away, Hawkmoth, or Gabriel Agreste as he appears now, looks out the window of his tower in thought.

“This Red X is a wild card.” He frowns, beginning to pace. “I hope I did not put my money in the wrong place.”

“You are similar people,” his kwami, Nooroo, says hesitantly. “Both of you serve your own interests. Would you trust yourself?”

Gabriel turns to his kwami, who instinctively shrinks back ever so slightly. “He has my trust...for now. But we will keep a close eye on him, Nooroo. I will not be made a fool of.”


	2. Cat Burglar

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chat Noir and Ladybug face their most powerful akuma yet, one near and dear to their hearts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Good ol' akuma battles. I love them but they can be difficult to write sometimes. Hope you guys enjoy!

Miss Bustier is reviewing the correct answers from the exam when Marinette tries to slip into class unnoticed. Unfortunately, as soon as the door closes, all eyes turn to her. 

“Thank you for joining us, Marinette.” Miss Bustier gives Marinette a pointed look. “Take your exam and sit down, please.” 

“Yes, ma’am,” Marinette responds meekly. Head down, she grabs the paper from her teacher and scurries to her seat. 

“Where were you?” Alya whispers.

“I slept in,” Marinette sighs. 

“Again?” 

Marinette only shrugs helplessly. She glances at her exam and cringes at the low score. It is just as she expected, but the confirmation still feels awful. 

“Glad you made it.” Marinette’s head shoots up at the familiar voice and looks right into Adrien’s eyes. 

“Er, um, thank you,” she squeaks, bringing up her paper to cover her blush. 

Her crush flashes her a smile and turns back to the front. Alya rolls her eyes good naturedly as she watches Marinette melt from happiness once again. At least one thing went well for her today. 

A loud cough disturbs the peace. “Miss Bustier!” Chloé Bourgeois waves a hand in the air, snapping her fingers impatiently. “I still don’t understand why ‘metaphor’ is not the correct answer for number six.” 

Miss Bustier smiles with straining patience. “A metaphor is a figure of speech, used to represent an abstract idea. The sentence in number six does not use a metaphor. Instead it uses a hyperbole, which is an exaggeration.” 

“But you’re not supposed to take it literally, right? So it’s a metaphor!” 

“Yes, but they are still different literary terms--” 

“I don’t believe you!” Chloé crosses her arms and looks away with a pout. “It doesn’t make any sense.” 

“If you still do not understand, I can certainly help you more after class.” Miss Bustier walks back to her desk with finality. “For now, we must continue with the lesson for today.” 

“No!” Chloé screams. “I want a higher score!” Beside her, Sabrina Raincomprix nods in agreement.

Miss Bustier takes a deep breath to calm herself and turns back around to face her student. “Chloé, I cannot show favoritism. The answer is incorrect and if you wish to see higher scores on your exams then I suggest you ask for help beforehand and study regularly. There is no secret formula to success, only hard work and dedication.” 

Instead of calming down, Chloé only grows angrier. “How...how dare you!” she sputters. “I said I don’t understand the material and now you’re embarrassing me in front of  _ everyone _ !” 

With that, she bursts into tears. Sabrina hands her tissues, patting Chloé’s back comfortingly. 

“Enough of this!” Miss Bustier says firmly. “Please compose yourself, Miss Bourgeois, or I will have to ask you to leave the classroom.” 

Red rising in her cheeks, Chloé storms out of the room, Sabrina close behind. “You are a  _ terrible _ teacher!” she shouts, slamming the door. 

The room is silent in the wake of such events. Miss Bustier sighs, composing herself, then smiles at the class. “Well, shall we continue?” 

Quickly, the students pull out their notebooks and pencils as Miss Bustier begins the lesson. 

“Now, I hope you all did your reading, because we will be having an in depth discussion on the chapter today.” She turns to the board and writes last night’s assignment on the board. “Everyone will be participating, either by contributing to the discussion or by writing a one page analysis by the end of class today.”

The sound of rapid page turning is interrupted when the door bursts open and Chloé walks back in, this time with the principal, Mr. Damocles in tow. 

“Ah, Miss Bustier,” Damocles clears his throat uncomfortably. “What seems to be the problem here?” 

“I explained the situation to you!” Chloé shrieks. She points an accusing finger at Miss Bustier. “Mr. Damocles, fire her!” 

Everyone in the classroom gasps in shock. Adrien immediately stands up to defend the teacher. 

“Chloé!” he reprimands. “You don’t mean that!” 

“I do.” Chloé turns her back to the principal. “I demand that Miss Bustier be fired or else my father will fire  _ you _ .” 

Damocles is stricken. “Miss Bourgeois, perhaps we should put this under review,” he stammers. “No need for any drastic action.” 

“ _ Fire her, Mr. Damocles, _ ” Chloé screams louder. 

“I--” Damocles hangs his head in shame. “I’m sorry Miss Bustier. You are relieved of your position, for now.” 

Stunned silence fills the room. Miss Bustier’s face pales, composed expression falling from her face. Everyone watches with bated breath for her response. 

“I have worked here for years,” she say softly, voice trembling ever so slightly, “and only now do I see that an owl who refuses to show its talons is the creature that runs this school.” 

She squares her shoulders and walks out of her classroom. “That, Chloé, was a metaphor.” 

After the door closes, Damocles clears his throat awkwardly. “Well class, we will begin looking for a substitute teacher while we search for a permanent replacement. I will call  Mr. Haprèle to come in and teach for the rest of the day. In the meantime...uh…” Damocles glances at the board. “Continue reading those pages.” 

The students dissolve into chaos as soon as Damocles leaves the room. 

“Who do you think you are, Chloé?” Alya is furious, fists clenched at her sides. “Miss Bustier did nothing wrong!” 

Chloé simply saunters back to her desk, checking her appearance in a compact mirror. “She got what she deserved.” 

“She didn’t deserve that.” Marinette shakes her head. “That was wrong, Chloé.” 

“Don’t act so high and mighty, Marinette.” Chloé glares at her. “It’s not like you did anything to stop it.” 

“Chloé, you have to go to Mr. Damocles and convince him to bring Miss Bustier back!” Nino insists. “She’s a great teacher and you know it!” 

Other students chime in their agreement. Marinette sinks into her chair. 

“We should have said something,” she says, burying her head in her hands. “Maybe we could have changed Mr. Damocles’ mind.” 

“I don’t think so,” Alya frowns. “You know how much influence Chloé’s father has over the school. Mr. Damocles is terrified of doing anything against her wishes.” 

“Don’t worry, Marinette.” Adrien gives Marinette a comforting smile. “I’m sure this situation will be resolved soon.” 

-x-

Miles away, Hawkmoth watches Miss Bustier leave Collège Françoise Dupont with her belongings. As soon as the doors close behind her with finality, she finally breaks down and begins to cry. Bringing a hand to her face to hide the tears, Miss Bustier quickly walks down the stairs, eager to leave the horrible place. 

“A most unfortunate situation,” Hawkmoth murmurs. “So many feelings swirling inside. Anger, sadness...a perfect cocktail that would only be complete with the addition of an akuma.” 

Glowing white butterflies flit around him and one settles in his palm at his summons. He covers it with his hand and imbues it with dark energy. Then, he releases it. 

“Fly, my akuma. Seek out the heartbroken schoolteacher and bring my plan into fruition!” 

-x-

Time slows down in the classroom. Marinette stares at her textbook, trying to process the words, but finds that she’s been rereading the same sentence over and over again. Miss Bustier’s situation is still nagging at her mind. Combined with everything else that has been going on, she can’t help but feel a wave of unease in her stomach. 

_ Only...two hours of school left, Marinette, _ she tells herself.  _ Then you can go home and rest. _

As much as she can, anyway. She and Chat Noir are planning to meet that night for a patrol, as long as an akuma doesn’t disrupt the peace again. If they get a free moment, she needs to talk to him about Hawkmoth. Hopefully he will agree that they need to find the villain before he causes more harm to the city. 

Of course, her usual good luck seems to be laughing at her recent spin with misfortune. 

For the second time that day, the classroom door flies open. One high-heeled boot steps into the room, and in comes a woman wearing an authentic 18th century French gown and a tall, plumed hat. Her face is painted with heavy white makeup and dramatic eyeshadow that emphasizes the rage in her eyes. 

“An akuma!” someone screams, and every student starts to run. 

“Not so fast!” the villain sneers. She takes out a feather pen and notebook and swipes across a page. Ink comes flying out and a couple drops land on the students nearest to her. 

“My name is Mademoiselle Auteur,” she declares, writing in her notebook. “Your lives belong to me now!” 

“What’s happening?” Lê Chiến Kim shouts in surprise when he finds that his limbs are frozen. 

“I...can’t move!” Alix Kubdel strains against the invisible force that keeps her captive. 

Then, Alix and Lê Chiến move in a puppet-like fashion and both students lunge for Chloé. 

“Get away!” Chloé screams, shoving Sabrina in front of her for protection. She then turns and pushes her way to the front of the crowd and out the door. 

“After her!” Mademoiselle Auteur shouts. “She will pay for what she did to me!” 

Hiding behind a desk, Marinette gasps. From the back, the akumatized villain is recognizable by her signature red hair. 

“It’s Miss Bustier!” she realizes. “Hawkmoth was able to control her because she got fired. Oh no...this is bad.” 

She quickly looks around. The other students have exited the classroom, Alya with her camera ready for action, so Marinette can slip out unnoticed and transform. She quickly runs out of the door, unknowingly passing Adrien, also hiding under his desk, on the way out. 

“Let’s transform, Plagg!” Adrien whispers to his kwami. The transformation is complete in seconds, and Chat Noir emerges from the classroom, following the commotion on the second floor.

“Someone needs to teach you a lesson, little girl.” Auteur writes furiously in her notebook while her puppets pound on a door that undoubtedly leads to Chloé. “Your words can ruin someone’s life, and now my words will control yours!” 

“Not for long!” Chat Noir attacks from the side and knocks the notebook out of the villain’s hands. It thunks onto the ground, several feet from Auteur. 

She gasps with indignation, eyes narrowing at Chat, who only grins cheekily at her. 

“Cat got your tongue?” he quips, spinning his staff. 

“Chat Noir,” Auteur growls. “I knew you’d show up eventually. Where’s your red spotted friend? You have something that Hawkmoth dearly wants.” 

“Oh, I know. But once again, he will be disappointed. Without your notebook, you’re helpless.”

“That’s what you think.” The villain runs towards Chat, surprisingly unhindered by the heavy dress she wears. 

“Approaching the enemy head-on? What pawsome bravery.” Chat whips out his staff at Auteur’s head, but she ducks and slides right past him, picking up the notebook once again. 

“You’ve got to use your brain, Chat Noir,” she smirks, waving her prized possession. “Or else you’ll never be a match for Hawkmoth.” 

“That was just one mistake,” Chat says, somewhat miffed. “You haven’t won yet.” 

“A mistake that will cost you. Attack!” 

The controlled students turn from the door and charge at Chat. He is quickly able to dodge them and fight them off without too much injury to the victims, but in the chaos, he realizes that Auteur has reached the door and opened it. 

“I’ve got you now, Chloé Bourgeois!” she cackles, raising her pen. 

“Oh no you don’t!” A red and black blur descends from the sky and Ladybug arrives at the scene. Auteur is knocked off her feet, while Ladybug lands softly, spinning her yo-yo at the side. 

“My lady!” Chat greets. He can’t help but feel giddy every time she sees her. He’ll never get tired of seeing her jump into a scene like that. “We’ve got a tricky situation here in our paws.” 

“Don’t let her get ink on your skin,” Ladybug tells him, getting straight to business. “Can’t have her controlling either of us.” 

“That would certainly be a catastrophe.”  

Ladybug rolls her eyes, but smiles at Chat. “Let’s do it.” 

They leap into action, heading towards Auteur from both sides. The villain scrambles for her notebook and swipes her pen across the page once again. 

Ink flows out from the pages and onto the ground, causing the heroes to leap back quickly to avoid it. They watch as black masses are formed from the ink, hulking monsters that stand in a circle to protect Auteur in the center. 

“Oh dear,” Chat frowns. “How do we fight them without getting ink on ourselves?” 

Ladybug spins her yo-yo. “Just don’t let them touch you!” She releases and the yo-yo flies towards one of the monsters. It goes right through the body and all the way back, but the villain is unharmed. 

“Oh no!” she gasps. “How do we defeat those things?” 

Mademoiselle Auteur laughs with glee. “I’ve got you now! I will have my revenge and Hawkmoth will take the Miraculouses. There is nothing you can do.” 

She writes in her notebook again and the monsters start walking towards the heroes, backing them into a corner. They leave dark pools of ink on the ground as they walk. 

“Chat, any ideas?” Ladybug mutters. 

He shakes his head. “Drawing a blank here.” 

“Lucky Charm!” Ladybug shouts. A bright flash of light erupts overhead and a water bottle drops into her hands. 

“What are we supposed to do with this?” 

Chat snaps his fingers. “Ink is diluted by water!” 

“Brilliant!” Ladybug grins. “Distraction, please.” 

“On it!” 

Ladybug rushes for the water fountain while Chat runs for his life, the ink monsters in close pursuit. 

“This is pointless resistance!” Auteur shouts. “You can’t run forever!” 

“Come on,” Ladybug hops impatiently while she waits for the water bottle to fill up. It overflows just as the first monster reaches her and she immediately dumps water on its face. It howls in pain, water running down and dissolving it into a puddle. Satisfied with the results, Ladybug quickly deals with the rest of the monsters attacking her. 

“It’s doesn’t take much water!” she shouts to Chat. “Catch!” 

The water bottle sails overhead and Chat catches it easily. He disposes of the monsters with a shout of glee. 

“No!” Auteur screams with rage and runs into the classroom. 

“Chloé!” Ladybug gasps. The heroes run into the room, but it’s too late. Auteur has Chloé at the window, completely under her control. 

“One more step, and she goes out the window,” she threatens. 

“Please, no!” Chloé sobs. “Help me Ladybug!”

“Get the notebook!” Chat shouts. “The akuma must be in there.” 

“Don’t move!” Auteur screams. “I will do it!” 

“Chat, get Chloé!” Ladybug acts quickly, launching her yo-yo at the notebook. Auteur quickly writes and Chloé jumps out the window with a terrified shriek. 

The yo-yo hits its mark. The notebook is pushed out of Auteurs hands. Ladybug dives for it and Chat leaps out the window to save Chloé. 

Ripping the notebook in half, Ladybug releases the akuma. “Fly away, little butterfly,” she murmurs. 

They clear the scene quickly. Chat delivers a sobbing Chloé safely onto solid ground. Police buzz around, interviewing a dazed Miss Bustier and Mr. Damocles urges all the students to leave for the day. 

“We have to talk,” Ladybug says, when all the commotion is over. 

“Anything for you, my lady,” Chat smiles, kissing her hand. But Ladybug’s face remains serious. 

“This isn’t the time for flirting, Chat.” 

His heart stops. He’s used to the rejection, but this time it strikes deeper. “Sorry,” he straightens up and clears his throat. “What’s going on?” 

“We need to talk about Hawkmoth,” she continues. “I think we need to seek him out somehow. There are so many akuma attacks and they’re getting more and more difficult to defeat. I’m...not sure how much longer we can keep up.” 

Chat sighs, leaning against the wall. “I feel the same way. But how can we find Hawkmoth? We barely know anything about him.” 

“Exactly!” Ladybug throws up her hands. “We’ve been fighting him for so long and we still know nothing. We have to focus our efforts on finding his hideout. Stop him before this gets worse.” 

“I don’t know…”

Ladybug frowns. “I thought you’d agree.” 

“It’s too risky to go after him without any information.” 

“It’s risky enough as it is!” Ladybug’s earrings begin to beep. She sighs. “I’ve got to go. Just...think about it, alright?” 

She swings away and Chat groans, rubbing his forehead. 

“Ouch,” Red X sympathizes from his hiding spot meters away, where he was able to witness the entire battle and the duo’s conversation afterwards. “Looks like the black cat has a soft spot for his ladybug.” 

He jots down one last note in his notebook and pockets it in his jacket. “Thank you for that impressive display,” he smirks, taking his leave. 

Still feeling gloomy from the day’s events, Chat decides to take the scenic route home. His transformation is holding up longer than usual, since he didn’t use cataclysm during battle, so he takes advantage of the disguise to blend in with the shadows. Surprisingly, he draws more attention on the streets of Paris as Adrien Agreste than he does as Chat Noir. 

Just as he’s passing by the Louvre, he notices a shadow slip into the building. Sensing that something is wrong, Chat carefully enters. The place is completely deserted, except for the security guards who are now lying on the ground, unconscious. Upon closer inspection, he realizes that the cameras have been destroyed. 

“Who’s there?” he shouts, walking through the exhibit and examining the paintings closely for signs of theft. Suddenly, a red X-shaped shuriken flies towards his face. He yelps, barely dodging it. The weapon embeds itself in the wall. 

“What’s the matter?” Red X leaps down from the ceiling, now wearing his costume. “Cat got your tongue?” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks again for reading! Here is [my blog](http://anavoli.tumblr.com), let me know what you think!


	3. Stray Cat Struggle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chat Noir confronts Red X in the Louvre and learns what his mission is.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, it's been a while! But without further ado, here is the 3rd chapter!

“Who are you?” Chat Noir immediately expands his staff and circles Red X carefully. “Another akuma?”

X chuckles, leisurely turning a shuriken in his hand. “Wouldn’t that be nice?”

Suddenly, he disappears. Chat spins around wildly, every muscle on guard.

“Where did you go?” he shouts. “Show yourself!”

“Right here.”

X leaps out from behind Chat, barely visible in the darkness. He shoots out red sticky goo that just brushes the edge of Chat’s tail as he leaps out of the way.

“Rats.” Chat flicks his tail with annoyance, unable to rid it of the goo. “What is this?”

“Cool, isn’t it?” X smirks behind his mask. “I stole it from one of my previous enemies. I think I’m putting it to _much_ better use.”

“So you’re just a petty thief then.” Chat acts quickly, swinging his staff at X.

He dodges it easily, but Chat is relentless. Unable to keep track of the hero’s movements, X grunts in pain when Chat lands a blow on his stomach.

“Why yes, I am a thief.” X kicks out his leg and knocks Chat off his feet. The staff clatters from his hand onto the floor.

“Honestly I’m insulted that you thought I was one of those mindless akuma. They have their uses though, I suppose."

Chat narrows his eyes at that. “Their uses? What brought you to Paris, exactly?”

“You mean the expensive artwork isn’t a good enough reason? I got bored with America, you know. I’ve stolen pretty much everything worth stealing there.”

He shoots more red goo out of his suit, forcing Chat to roll out of the way.

“Sorry, friend. Can’t have you getting that staff of yours. Ninety percent of your moves are related to that thing.”

Chat frowns. “You’ve done your research then.”

He leaps back to his feet and tries to run towards his staff but red goo once again blocks the way. X continues to block Chat from his weapon, shooting glob after glob and forcing him to run around.

X chuckles. “This is actually kinda fun! Like making you chase after a laser.”

Chat growls, frustrated. He performs a series of backflips and sinks into the shadows. He tiptoes past several pieces of artwork, peering at Red X through spaces between.

“And so the cat runs.” X paces around slowly, listening for signs of the black cat. “Gee, I wonder what you’re going to do.”

Chat flicks his eyes and ears around, looking for anything he can use to his advantage. Unfortunately, he doesn’t know the full extent of X’s abilities yet, so he has to be prepared for anything.

“Come out little kitty.” X narrows his eyes. “I know you’re still here.”

A black blur descends from the chandelier. X spins around and sends out a red X that expands around the hero’s body, locking his arms and effectively capturing him.

Chat cries out when he lands painfully on the ground.

“So predictable.” X squats next to the fallen cat and shakes his head. “You didn’t even make this a challenge.”

“Who is your employer?” Chat hisses. He struggles with the restraints but the hard elastic only gets tighter with every movement.

Red X brings up a finger to his mouth. “Sorry, I’m under strict orders not to tell.”

“It’s Hawkmoth, isn’t it?”

X shrugs. “Well, I didn’t tell you. But whatever, you figured it out. Good job. I’m still gonna need that ring of yours.”

Chat’s mind goes into overdrive, simultaneously trying to keep up the conversation as a distraction while figuring out an escape plan. He realizes that he only has one option while his hands are bound this way.

 _I have to use cataclysm_ , he thinks. _I’ll run out of time but I’ll just make sure I can get away. Easy enough, right?_

He laughs shortly, trying to reign in his panic. “So Hawkmoth realized he couldn’t get our Miraculouses himself and sent a hired thief after us? I hope you know that your employer is a coward.”

With his left hand, the side out of X’s view, Chat twists his wrist so his hand can touch the edge of the restraint.

“I know.” X reaches for Chat Noir’s ring. “But my bank account thanks me for such an easy job.”

Suddenly, the hard elastic that binds Chat burns away with his cataclysm. As soon as his arms are free, he brings a fist toward X’s face. It pulses with dangerous black energy and X realizes he wouldn’t like to see the outcome if it touched his mask.

X grunts in shock and just barely manages to get out of the way. “That’s a new one,” he mutters. “Did not see that coming.”

As his cataclysm nears its time limit, Chat lunges for the thief. X dodges again, but to his shock, he feels the utility belt falling from his waist.

“No!” X snarls, hand snapping out to try and grab the belt.

“Oh, sorry, did I steal something?” Chat smirks, holding the utility belt in his hand. He leaps up to the ceiling and dangles it above X tauntingly. “Looks like _you_ can’t do anything without this.”

“I wouldn’t be so sure about that.”

Using the paintings as handholds, X bounds up to Chat’s resting place. He leans back to try and avoid him but yelps as he loses his balance, falling back to the ground with the belt. He just manages to land on his feet.

The sensors around the artwork immediately set off the alarms. The loud ringing startles Chat Noir and he fails to react when Red X snags his utility belt back.

“What did you do?” Chat yells. “The police will catch you for sure!”

“I wouldn’t be so sure. They might find _someone_ here.” X waves at him from the other side of the room, tauntingly. “But it’s definitely not going to be me.”

“Get back here!” Chat runs towards the thief, raising his staff to strike.

Just then, his ring starts beeping urgently. If he stays to fight much longer, his secret identity will be at risk.

“Looks like we’re out of time,” X smirks. “I’d get going too if I were you. See you later, Chat Noir.”

He turns and slips out of the building. From the window, Chat watches as X runs to the glass pyramid outside, slipping in and disappearing to the mall underneath.

“What a catastrophe,” Chat Noir sighs.

Police sirens in the distance alert him of imminent danger of a different kind. The last thing the public needs to hear about in the news is that Chat Noir was found in a slightly damaged Louvre hallway without a villain in sight.

When the police cars pull up to the Louvre pyramid, Chat has already slipped out a backdoor and into the Paris night.

“Search the grounds!” a policeman yells in the distance. “Figure out what set off the alarms!”

“Sir!” another shouts, having found the unconscious security guards. “We’ve got two men down!”

“This is bad,” Chat mutters. He tears himself away from the scene and into a back alley where he can safely power down.

“It’s a good thing I didn’t have to meet Ladybug tonight, Plagg.” Adrien sighs, placing his exhausted kwami into his shirt pocket. “Let’s get you some camembert.”

“An akuma and a thief all in one day!” Plagg complains, never one to let tiredness keep his mouth shut. “Ridiculous!”

“I know.” Adrien starts walking towards home, a look of concentration on his face. “What is Hawkmoth up to?”

“Obviously it’s the same as always: to get the Miraculouses.” Plagg yawns. “It’s not that complicated.”

“But couldn’t he just give us a break? Stop being evil for...a day. Or two.”

“Yeah, not gonna happen. This is Hawkmoth we’re talking about.”

“I know,” Adrien groans. “Some heroes we are.”

“Hey, this kind of attitude is exactly why Ladybug isn’t attracted to you,” Plagg snickers. “Stop being a scaredy-cat."

Adrien scowls. “Do you want camembert or something a little cheaper?”

Plagg curls up in the shirt pocket, unapologetic. “I only speak the truth.”

Shoving his hands into his pants pockets, Adrien looks up at the moon and sighs. “What if the day comes when we can’t protect Paris anymore?”

For once, Plagg is silent. Shaking his head, Adrien continues down the sidewalk, eager to get back to the comfort of his room. That is a question he will have to answer later.

-x-

Several blocks away, Red X peers at Adrien through binoculars. Slowly, a smile spreads across his face.

“So...the cat reveals his true face.”

His viewfinder leaves Adrien, walking alone down the dark streets, and follows the path to the right where the Agreste Mansion sits ahead, in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower.

“And that must be his den. Of course.”

He slowly zooms in and out of several spots around the mansion, trying to gauge the full extent of the security features. A nearby billboard catches his attention. Upon closer inspection, he sees Adrien Agreste’s face, bright smile and all, on full display. His name, his father’s name, and the name of his company is there for all the world to see.

“Too easy,” X smirks. “I’ve got all the information I need.”

He puts the binoculars back into a backpack, satisfied with the day’s endeavours. Ladybug’s identity would be more difficult to figure out, but knowing Chat Noir’s real name definitely gives him an advantage.

“Hawkmoth claims he has eyes all over the city, but even he hasn’t figured out who his enemies are,” X crows. “Maybe I can get him to up my salary for this information.”

He slings the backpack over one shoulder and the utility belt over the other, still scowling a bit about the fact that Chat damaged it with that power of his. For some reason, he hadn’t used it in the akuma battle at all.

“Annoying.” X frowns. “I’ll have to get it fixed.”

-x-

In his office, Gabriel Agreste paces impatiently. “Today’s akuma attack was the closest we’ve ever gotten to capturing the Miraculouses! We are growing stronger, Nooroo. Surely you feel it too.”

Nooroo shivers slightly. “There are dark forces at work. I can sense them,” he mumbles. “It feels unnatural.”

“Your time with that old fool of a Guardian made you too superstitious.” Gabriel frowns at his kwami disapprovingly. “Where could these dark forces be coming from? We should be celebrating! Two more Miraculous artifacts will soon be ours!”

“I just believe we should be cautious,” Nooroo replies nervously. “Can you really trust this Red X?”

“Money can control the greediest man. And Red X is one of the greediest men I have ever met.”  

A knock on the door interrupts his reverie. Nooroo quickly ducks away and Gabriel opens the door to find his assistant, Nathalie Sancoeur.

“Yes?” He raises an eyebrow.

Nathalie nods her head respectfully. “Sir, Adrien has just returned home.”

Gabriel’s frown grows deeper. “This late? Let me see him.”

“He is waiting in the dining room.”

They walk down to find Adrien eating the meal the chef cooked for him, reheated due to his late arrival.

“Adrien,” Gabriel greets him shortly. “I heard there was an akuma attack at the school.”

Though Adrien is surprised by the appearance of his father, he manages not to look too startled. “Um, yes.” He swallows quickly so he can elaborate. “There was...a disagreement at school and Hawkmoth took advantage of it again.”

“Are you sure that you are still comfortable going to that school?” Gabriel asks. “It is getting rather dangerous.”

“Yes! Of course. I’m comfortable, I mean.” Adrien nods his head aggressively. “Chat Noir and Ladybug were there to save the day. No one was hurt.”

Gabriel clenches his jaws slightly, but decides not to address the heroes. “Very well. However, I will be calling Mr. Damocles to discuss the misconduct of his teachers. Disgraceful, your own teacher turning into an akuma like that.”

“Please don’t blame Miss Bustier!” Adrien protests. “It wasn’t her fault. Just a...misunderstanding. I hope it will be resolved soon.”

“As do I.” Gabriel turns to go. “I will leave you to your dinner. But since the city grows more dangerous lately, I expect you home earlier, Adrien. Nathalie will make sure of it.”

He doesn’t see Adrien hang his head, fist clenched tightly around his spoon with frustration. “Yes, Father.”

“Good.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! Would love to hear your thoughts on the story so far!


	4. Got Your Tongue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Red X takes advantage of Chat Noir's secret, blackmailing him into an agreement and turning the tide of the fight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been a while, but we're back with another chapter! Things are getting even more interesting now...

Alarms blare into the Paris night, bright lights making the Bourgeois mansion a shining beacon as every security measure is activated. Doors are bolted, windows are barred, and neighbors are awakened by the piercing shrieks of Chloé Bourgeois. 

“Thief!” she screams. “Get away! Someone, please help!” 

At the first sign of trouble, Chat Noir instantly zeroes in on the house during his night watch.

“Looks like we’ve got a cat burglar,” he murmurs to himself, swinging into action. 

He arrives at the mansion just as metal plates slam down in front of every door and window. It effectively traps anyone seeking an escape but also, unfortunately, makes it difficult for rescuers to enter. 

“This is a catastrophe,” Chat scratches his head. “How do I get inside?” 

After several minutes of trying to force the plates aside, to no avail, Chat finally decides to climb up to the roof and search for an opening. To his dismay, the only viable option is the chimney. 

“How illogical,” he grumbles as he squeezes into the tight space. “Give a superhero a break!” 

Luckily, he makes it down the chimney unscathed. Brushing soot off his tail, Chat flicks his ears in the direction of the commotion. The thief is nowhere near subtle, the crashing tables and clinking jewelry signals his location. For once, Chat appreciates Chloé’s screaming. As annoying and piercing as it is, it certainly helps him find the right room. 

He bursts into Chloé’s room with his staff held out defensively and finds her tied to a chair. Her eyes widen with relief when she sees him. 

“Finally!” she cries. “Chat Noir, get him!”

The thief in question turns from his work. Chat finds himself face to face with the all-too familiar white mask with the red X across the front. 

“Nice to see you again, Chat Noir,” Red X smirks. He lifts his bag of stolen goods. “Perhaps you’d like a share of the profits?” 

“Never in a million years,” Chat narrows his eyes. “I stopped you before, I can do it again!” 

“Oh really?” X shakes his head. “I tried to offer you a bonus but I guess I should have known better. The great Chat Noir won’t accept a bribe.” 

“You’ve got that right,” Chat snarls. “Now put down the jewelry!” 

“Not so fast.” X raises a finger, putting Chat immediately on guard. Who knows what kind of gadgets X still has up his sleeve. “You might regret this.” 

“Stop stalling!” 

“Hey, I’m just trying to warn you about what’s coming.” X drops his voice to a whisper, keeping the conversation away from Chloé. “Unless you  _ want _ your secret identity revealed.” 

The words make Chat’s blood run cold. His grip on the staff falters ever so slightly. 

“What do you mean by that?” He curses the way his voice shakes. 

X chuckles. “That’s right, little kitty. I know your real name. And unless you want your pretty face broadcasted for everyone to see, then I suggest you let me go.” 

Behind him, Chloé squirms, wondering what is going on. She looks at Chat, silently begging him to make the right decision. Unfortunately, he doesn’t know what that is. 

“How do I know you’re not bluffing?” Chat says, trying to think of a way out of this. 

X shrugs. “You’ll just have to take my word for it. The cards are on the table, but it’s up to you which one you’re going to play.” 

He turns back to the jewelry case, picking out every last piece and putting it into the bag. Chat and Chloé watch him, still frozen in fear. He ties up the bag and slings it over his shoulder. 

“So, Chat Noir, what’s the verdict?” 

Fear and despair overwhelm the superhero. He can only imagine all the horrible scenarios of harm coming to his friends and family, because of him, and it crowds out all rational thought. 

He lowers his staff. “Fine,” he forces out. “Get out of here.” 

Red X saunters to the door, leisurely opening it as if he were any other guest. “Merci beaucoup, Chat Noir.” He bows, pretending to flourish a hat.  “And by the way, I expect you to leave me alone the next time I visit a fine establishment such as this. Otherwise, I might have to let slip a little secret, and Hawkmoth will find out who you are. I suspect you might not like that so much. Au revoir!” 

He disappears through the door. Chat slumps down to his knees, holding his head in shame. 

“I’m sorry Chloé,” he chokes. “I’ll find a way around this.” 

He runs out of the room, unable to meet her eyes, and Chloé cannot find the words to respond. 

-x-

“This week has been going great.” X sits in his hotel room, leaning back in the reclining chair. “The Bourgeois mansion itself has enough loot to be considered its own museum.” In his hands, he inspects a diamond bracelet, admiring its facets. 

“You were not brought here to be a petty thief,” Hawkmoth snarls from the screen. If he had actually been in the room, X might have thought about flinching. 

Instead, he shrugs. “You hired me because I’m a thief, yes? So what if I take a couple detours for myself? Let a guy have some fun!” 

“Then where are the Miraculouses?” Hawkmoth paces the room, quickly losing patience. “They should be a priority.” 

“I’m working on it.” X waves a hand. “Just need some more info on those kids. Everything’s going according to plan, don’t worry.” 

“I am not entirely convinced that is the case.” Hawkmoth frowns. “Do not think that I am not aware of what happened at the Louvre the other night. And then at the Bourgeois mansion today. Chat Noir was at your mercy! Why didn’t you steal his Miraculous while you had the chance?” 

X narrows his eyes. “Hey, man, I do things my own way. You just hired me to do a job, but I’m not gonna let you dictate how I do it. 

“I want those Miraculouses by the end of the week!” Hawkmoth orders. “Or are you too incompetent?” 

Not one to let Hawkmoth insult his skills, X backs down, but a sour expression still crosses his face. “Of course not. You’ll get what you want.” 

The call ends. Hawkmoth continues to pace long after the conversation. 

“I do not trust him,” he mutters. “I should have known better than to put such a delicate situation in the hands of a crook. His arrogance towards authority makes him impossible to control.” 

He stares out into the city, glistening lights in the Paris skyline. In a hotel somewhere, Red X is sleeping peacefully in his bed, with no sense of urgency for the task at hand. 

“No matter,” Hawkmoth decides. “His skills are still essential, but an akuma can solve that issue of disobedience easily enough. It’s only a matter of time before he lets his emotions get the better of him…” 

-x-

Adrien sighs. He sits at his desk, face-down on the table. Luckily, he made it to school on time today, despite his aching bones and guilt over what happened at the Bourgeois mansion last night. However, the last thing he wants to be doing today is literature analysis and mathematics. 

“You okay?” Nino asks.

Adrien just groans in response. Nino shakes his head and places a comforting hand on his friend’s shoulder. 

“It’s not your dad again, is it? What did he do this time?” 

Adrien wishes that he could talk to Nino about his dilemma. His friend has always been his strongest supporter, and it’s a lonely feeling, being a superhero with no one to go to. When you’re supposed to be the one who solves other people’s problems, you wonder who can help you solve your own. 

_ And clearly Ladybug isn’t going to be any help _ , Adrien notes.  _ If she knew that I let X go when I had him right there...I don’t even want to know how she would react. _

“No,” he sighs, sitting up. “Just feeling...overwhelmed, lately, I guess. And tired. I haven’t been sleeping well...not really sure why.”

Just enough of the truth that his friend buys his excuse. That’s how it always goes. 

Nino scrutinizes him. “You’re too stressed, man. What else is going on, besides your dad’s usual crap?” 

At the next desk, Adrien can hear Chloé recount her terrifying experience last night. 

“He stole everything from me,” she wails. “And Chat Noir just...let him go!” 

Adrien clenches his fist, willing himself not to eavesdrop anymore. “It’s really nothing.” He gives Nino a half smile. “I’m sure I’ll get rest this weekend.” 

That doesn’t assure Nino whatsoever. “Let me know if you want to talk.” 

“Yeah, of course! Thanks, Nino. Sorry I made you worry.” 

“Don’t be sorry. I’m your friend, it’s my job.” Nino pauses, looking like he wants to say more, but Mr. Haprèle begins to speak. 

“Alright, class! Let’s get started please. Now, I will do my best to teach in Miss Bustier’s absence, but I am by no means any expert in literature. However, I assure you that Mr. Damocles is working hard to find a suitable replacement as soon as possible.” 

He pauses, faint sadness in his eyes. “As you all know, Miss Bustier was an excellent teacher, highly qualified and reputable. She set the bar high, and of course we would like to maintain that standard at Collège Françoise Dupont.”

The class shifts uncomfortably. No one feels Miss Bustier’s absence more than the students. 

Haprèle clears his throat. “Now, I hope you all kept up with your reading. Please take out some paper and answer these analysis questions…” 

-x- 

Before Chat Noir even begins his patrol for the night, alarms are already blaring from a jewelry store downtown. He sees the flashing lights before he hears the sound, and if it wasn’t for the prickle of fear that goes through his veins at the thought of X’s threat, he would have leapt right into action. 

He and Ladybug have been switching off patrols this week, since they mutually agreed they were both getting too worn out. Of course, they promised to signal the other if the situation called for backup, but Chat knew he couldn’t call her for this. 

“If Ladybug goes after X, does that count as me interfering?” Chat mutters to himself. “I guess I can only hope that X decides to go thieving on the days when she’s on duty.” 

Unfortunately, he’s not that lucky. X somehow seems to know just when Ladybug is on duty and Chat is not. 

“He’s definitely taunting me,” Chat grumbles. “It can’t be a coincidence.” 

His ears flick back and forth, senses constantly on edge for any sign of X, even though he knows there’s nothing he can do about it. 

Instead, he spends his patrols hiding in the shadows, guilt clawing at his gut as one alarm after another is triggered. By the time the police arrive, the place is completely ransacked and Red X is nowhere to be seen. 

“There have been ten robberies in just the past few days!” Ladybug shakes a newspaper in Chat’s face during a joint patrol later that week. “There’s not going to be anything left to steal soon enough!” 

Chat rubs his face tiredly. “You’d think that he would be tired of thieving by now.” 

“How can he be smart enough to outsmart you all these times? You’re the cleverest kitty I know!” 

In another circumstance, his cheeks would have gone pink from such a sincere compliment from his beloved Ladybug. But now, it just makes his tail curl more in shame. 

“It’s those gadgets,” he mumbles. “He can make himself disappear.” 

“Exactly, but without that belt, he can’t do anything! What we need to do is tag team him. If I distract him, and you use cataclysm, he’ll be helpless!” 

“I don’t know…”

“Come on, Chat! It’s at least worth a try, right?” 

“What if he acts on a night where it’s just one of us? Like I said, sending a signal gives him too much time to get away.” 

“Oh, we’re both patrolling every night from now on. A full night’s sleep isn’t worth Paris’s jewels. We’ll be sure to catch him in the act.” 

Chat’s heart sinks. “Alright. Let’s do it then.” 

-x-

Red X whistles to himself as he runs his finger across the glass casing of a gold necklace. 

“Hello my beauty,” he croons. “France is truly full of never-ending wonders.” 

He reaches for the lock, but suddenly, a red and black yo-yo flies out from the darkness, knocking his hand away from the case. 

X looks at the yo-yo in surprise, which is quickly retracted, then sighs. “Fancy seeing you here, Ladybug.” 

“These don’t belong to you, X,” she says, stepping into the light. “So leave the jewels and this can be easier for both of us.” 

“Where’s your black cat?” X smirks, slowly backing away from the case. “Hiding with his tail between his legs?” 

“Not here,” is her response. 

_ He’s hiding somewhere. _ The thought gives X a giddy feeling.  _ But will the kitty have the courage to attack from the shadows? _

“Listen, Ladybug. I’m flattered that you’re all taking time out of your night to pay me a visit, really I am. But this isn’t going to end well for you.” 

“We’ll see about that.” She swings her yo-yo in circles, backing X towards the wall.

He raises his hands. “I don’t want to fight you, Ladybug.” 

“Then surrender.” 

“Hm...the thought is tempting.” X pretends to ponder the possibility. “But nah, this is more fun!” 

Red goo flies out of his open palms. Taken off guard by the gadget, Ladybug tries to counter them with her yo-yo, but it sticks to her weapon and sends it flying into the window. The glass cracks, triggering the alarm. 

“Things are about to get interesting,” X chuckles. “Thank you for giving me a challenge.” 

Ladybug yanks the yo-yo back, coming towards X with force. She kicks, he jumps, she punches and X narrowly misses being tangled by the string of her weapon.

“Ooh, tricky,” he yelps, sending back more sticky red goo. Some of it lands on her suit, but does nothing to hinder her movements.

Ladybug somersaults towards him, and before he can react, she sends him crashing out the window with a kick. 

“Wow, didn’t think you’d pull a stunt like that,” X grunts, stumbling to his feet and brushing stray glass off his gloves. 

The yo-yo string flies out in front of him and yanks him against a lamppost, successfully trapping him. Just in time, however, he sends out a red X that knocks Ladybug to the ground and binds her arms to her body. 

“Chat!” she shouts, struggling against the restraints. “Now!” 

A black blur descends from the sky, but the yo-yo string has already loosened. Chat circles a freed X with apprehension, staff poised but unable to act.

“Well well, Chat Noir himself! Thought I wasn’t ever gonna get to see your little face again,” X says, pointedly. 

Chat prickles, but doesn’t respond. 

“You know what will happen if you make a move, right?” X lowers his voice so Ladybug can’t hear. “Adrien Agreste...everyone’s going to know who you are.” 

“What are you doing?” Ladybug yells. “Snap out of it, Chat!” 

His hand glows black with cataclysm, ready to strike at X’s utility belt, to follow the plan. 

“Jump up, and run,” he whispers to the thief, and swings his claw towards the lamppost. 

His hand just brushes the side of the belt, but not enough to do any real damage. X leaps up, using Chat’s back as a springboard to the roof. 

“You bested me this time,” he shouts to the heroes. “But the cat still got out of the bag.” 

He laughs at his joke, waves goodbye, and disappears. 

After a brief moment of shock, Chat runs over to Ladybug, making sure she’s alright. 

“What happened?” Ladybug asks as Chat pulls at her restraints. “You had him right there.” 

“He was too fast for me,” Chat mumbles. 

“Too fast? I’ve seen you take down akuma bigger and quicker than him.” 

“I...it was an accident. I’m sorry.” 

“We’ll get him next time.” Ladybug stands, brushing off her suit. “At least we kept him from stealing more tonight. Small victory right?” 

Chat’s ring beeps. Ladybug frowns, wanting to discuss the situation more, but once again time is against her. 

“You should go. I’ll stay here and wait for the police to arrive.” 

“Yeah, okay. Um...see you tomorrow night.” 

Chat leaps up onto the roof, running fast to ignore the guilty beat of his heart.Tonight was everything he feared it would be. 

_ I’m sorry, my lady _ . 

Ladybug leans against the jewelry shop door, frowning over the events of the night. 

“There’s something up with Chat,” she muses. “What is he keeping from me?” 

She replays the fight in her head, specifically the moment when Chat was confronting X face to face. His movements then had been too careful; he held back too much. It was uncharacteristic of him. 

“Besides...Chat Noir never misses an opportunity to make a pun.” 

A chilling thought crosses her mind. 

“He’s not...working with X, is he?” Immediately, she shakes the thought out of her head. “No way. That’s impossible.” 

But the situation still doesn’t add up, and Ladybug can’t help but wonder…

“Only one way to find out.” She looks back at the jewelry, still safe in its case. “I’ve got to go after him myself.” 


	5. Out of the Bag

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ladybug starts to mistrust Chat Noir and goes after Red X herself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had fun writing a little more banter and fluff in this chapter, enjoy!

Ladybug swings from building to building, a familiar routine after so many patrols. Today, however, is different. She lands on a rooftop across from a bank, brightly lit despite the fact that all the employees have gone home for the night. For any passersby, this would seem strange. For Ladybug, it’s no surprise that Red X has chosen this location for tonight’s excursion. 

Her yo-yo beeps quietly. She quickly accepts the call from Chat Noir. 

“Any sign of X?” he asks, eyes flicking around warily. He looks even more nervous than last time, which only increases Ladybug’s suspicions. 

“No,” she lies easily. “Let’s keep looking. Don’t forget to signal if you see him!” 

“Of course, my lady,” Chat quips, but there’s no heart behind his usual flirtation.

She ends the call, looking down at the bank with a frown. She purposely split up with Chat, sending him to the other end of the city while she headed straight for where she hoped X would be. There’s something going on with Chat, and until she figures out what that is, she can’t risk him jeopardizing this mission. Especially after she worked so hard to predict exactly where X would strike next. 

“I hope you’re not getting into trouble, silly kitty,” Ladybug sighs. She could just be overthinking things. Chat is the greatest partner she could ask for, but lately their communication has been suffering. She wants to respect his space, but he clearly isn’t willing to tell her what’s been bothering him. 

For tonight, however, she needs to focus on the task at hand. 

Red X is whistling to himself when Ladybug bursts into the bank, releasing her yo-yo with a quick flick of the wrist and knocking the money out of his hands. He reacts quickly this time, throwing shuriken before she can try and wrap the yo-yo around his wrist. 

“Ladybug! Didn’t expect you to be dropping in so soon.” He slings his bag of cash over one shoulder and leaps out of the way of Ladybug’s volley of punches. 

“You were easy to track,” she smirks. 

X raises his eyebrows in surprise. “Clever lady. How’d you manage that?” 

“Maybe I’ll tell you when I come visit you in jail.” 

She takes a dive for his legs, a unexpectedly rash move that catches X off guard. He loses his balance and slams his head against the counter with a groan. 

“You’re pretty brave, coming at me all by yourself.” He kicks her away from him as best he can, but this really only gives him a couple seconds to catch his breath and regroup. “No Chat Noir today?” 

“We decided it would be best for me to face you alone,” she replies breezily, rolling back onto her feet. 

X clambers onto the counter, looking for an opening to the door. Ladybug is too relaxed, too dangerous. It would be better to leave with what he can instead of fight. 

“Sorry, X,” Ladybug smiles, advancing towards him with her yo-yo at the ready. “Maybe you should have chosen a different job.” 

He chokes out a laugh at that. How dare this child lecture him about his own life decisions? She didn’t know what he’s had to deal with, why he became a thief in the first place. 

“They tell you to follow your passions, right? Well, here I am, following mine.” 

He activates the blade on his wrist and lunges at Ladybug. Forget playing nice, he wants to see real fear in this kid’s eyes. 

She gasps, barely managing to avoid the quick slicing movements. 

“Leave, Ladybug,” X snarls. “Go home before you get hurt. This is how villains are in the real world. Not silly little pawns that Hawkmoth sends to play.” 

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Ladybug swings her yo-yo to act as a shield. “You’re no better than he is.”

Red X continues to distract her with the blade, while his leg comes up and kicks her in the stomach. She gasps, unable to stop herself as her body slams against the window. 

“Payback is sweet,” X smirks. 

Just like the last time, however, the shattering of glass immediately sets off the alarm. X sighs. 

“Forgot about that part. But I’ll be long gone once again.” 

“Not so fast.” 

X turns in surprise. Chat Noir stands in front of the door, staff poised for a fight. 

“Chat?” Ladybug groans from the floor. “What are you doing here?” 

“You didn’t respond to my call, and I got worried.”

The thief growls in frustration. “I told you not to get involved. You know the consequences!” 

“I don’t care about that.” Chat glares at X. “This is my city, and I’m going to do my duty and protect it!” 

“What...?” Barely keeping consciousness, Ladybug tries to make sense of the conversation. 

“Stop this, X!” Chat Noir shouts. “Stealing is one thing, but this is going too far!” 

The words cut deep. X stands there, frozen, carried back to a moment long ago...when another hero chastised him with those exact words… 

_ “You shattered his collarbone!” Bruce yells, disappointment and anger in his eyes.  _

_ Jason stares back, unwavering. “He’s a drug dealing pimp! I didn’t think I had to prop up some pillows before I took him out.” _

_ “We needed him. He would have talked. You put him into shock!”  _

_ Some of Jason’s irritation turns into shame. He isn’t stupid enough not to understand the reasoning behind Bruce’s words. But he also knows that no matter how he explains his actions, Bruce will never accept his point of view.  _

_ “Sorry,” he apologizes shortly. “That was dumb. But he deserved it!”  _

_ He walks away in frustration, and Bruce lets him go, not knowing that this would be the last time he would see Jason Todd without a mask... _

...Red X shakes off the memory. The feelings are still too visceral, like he left Batman’s side only yesterday. 

“You don’t know anything about me!” he roars in fury, striking back the only way he knows how. He runs towards the door with full force, shooting lasers at Chat’s feet that cause him to jump out of the way. The bag of cash is left on the ground, but for once, Red X doesn’t care. His only goal is to get far away from this place, from Chat Noir and the memories that still haunt him. 

“Get back here!” Chat yells as X escapes out the door. He starts to pursue the thief, but a groan from the window reminds him of Ladybug’s condition. 

“Ladybug!” he cries, running to her side. “Are you alright?” 

She winces, trying to get up. “He’s getting away...” 

“The cash is still here, and you’re hurt.” He grasps her hand comfortingly. “We’ll get him next time.” 

Still a little disoriented, Ladybug tries to wrap her head around the situation. “What was he talking about...the consequences?”

Chat shakes his head. “Don’t worry about that now. It was...silly of me to keep it from you. I’ll tell you everything as soon as you’re better.” 

“Silly kitty,” she murmurs. 

He smiles wearily, leaning back against the wall as the sirens finally draw closer. 

-x-

In Hawkmoth’s tower, he senses the presence of a very special soul in Paris this night. Someone he has been waiting for, whose negative emotions make him susceptible to an akuma. 

Red X stumbles through the streets, pausing in an alleyway to catch his breath. Chat Noir’s words still echo in his mind. He can’t shake the memories any longer. 

“Bruce was a fool!” he shouts into the sky. “He never really fought for injustice! Not the way I wanted to!” 

A tiny black butterfly flutters into the alley, completely hidden in shadow. Red X doesn’t feel the akuma when it lands on his utility belt, until it fuses and the transformation begins to occur. 

“What?” X sees his vision darken. “What is happening?” 

“Hello, Jason.” He hears Hawkmoth’s voice in his head. “Or shall I call you...Red Hood? It is time to finally do things  _ my way _ .” 

-x-

Adrien groans, sitting up in bed. It’s lucky that today is a Saturday, because he’s sure that he would not have been able to get up for school on a weekday.

“I hope Ladybug is feeling alright,” he says to himself. The medics at the crime scene checked her vitals, and she seemed alright, though when they suggested overnight hospitalization she immediately refused. Which made sense...they did have identities to protect, after all. 

“She was on her feet enough to get herself home,” Plagg notes, sitting on the bed with his camembert. “So it can’t be that bad.” 

“True,” Adrien sighs. “I just can’t help but worry about her.” 

Plagg snickers. “What an idiot in love.” 

Adrien rolls his eyes and flicks Plagg off the bed good naturedly. Then he frowns. 

“I have to tell her about Red X’s threat. He hasn’t followed up on it just yet...but it could still happen.” 

“How do you know he hasn’t?” 

“I’m pretty sure my father would have woken me up if he had…” 

Even so, Adrien quickly logs into his computer and checks the Ladyblog. There’s news of the bank robbery, but nothing related to identity reveals. 

“Yep, everything’s good for now.”  

Only half-paying attention, Plagg shoves the last of the cheese in his mouth. “Lucky.”

Adrien makes a face at his kwami’s eating habits, but decides not to comment. 

“If I was really lucky then Red X wouldn’t steal anything today and I’d be able to rest for once.” He flops down on the bed.

There’s an explosion from the streets below. Adrien groans. It takes him a whole ten seconds to react. 

“You jinxed it!” Plagg shrieks as Adrien transforms into Chat Noir. 

He lands in the street just in time to hear, “Miraculouses! Where are they?” 

“Akuma,” Chat grimaces. “Ironically I’m grateful for that.” 

He runs towards the sound. The sight of shattered jewelry shop windows and panicked customers greets him. The akumatized villain stands at the center of it all: a terrifying-looking man wearing a bomber jacket, a black combat suit, and a vivid scarlet hood. 

“Huh...the costumes are improving.” Chat leaps off the top of a car and onto the villain’s back, locking his staff under his chin. 

“Bonjour!” he smiles. “Looking for me?” 

“Chat Noir!” the villain growls. “Finally you show your face. Give me your miraculous!” 

He fumbles for Chat’s ring, turning in circles while he struggles to see where the superhero’s hand is. Chat chuckles to himself, holding onto the staff with his left hand while the other is held tightly to his back, protecting the Miraculous. He analyzes the villain, trying to figure out where the akuma might be, but it’s impossible to tell.  

“Argh!” The villain roars in frustration, finally using all his strength to grab the staff and flip Chat over his head and into a nearby building. 

“Me-owch,” Chat groans. “Should have seen that coming.” 

The hooded man charges right towards him, clearly aiming to knock him unconscious, but Chat manages to slip away right in the nick of time, grateful for his cat-like litheness. 

“What’s your name, buddy?” he asks playfully, bopping the villain with the staff while he backs away. Part of him thinks that he  _ might _ be having too much fun with this, but he deserves it! 

“Fear the name of Red Hood!” The villain slams his hand against a lamppost. “Today is the day you die, Chat Noir.” 

“That’s a little rash, don’t you think?” Chat leaps up to a second story window. “Why don’t we talk about this like civilized human beings?” 

“Talking is for fools!” Red Hood growls, reaching up to punch the windowsill. Before he can make contact, however, a yo-yo string wraps itself around his wrist and it’s tugged back. 

“Hey!” Ladybug shouts. “Destruction of public property is a criminal offense!” 

“Ladybug!” Red Hood and Chat Noir shout at the the same time, albeit with vastly different tones. 

“Happy to see me?” Ladybug smiles. 

With Red Hood distracted, Chat is able to escape from his perch and leap to Ladybug’s side. 

“How are you feeling?” Chat asks her. 

“Woke up with only a few bruises, thanks to you,” Ladybug smiles. “What do you say we stretch our muscles with a little akuma battle?” 

Chat grins. “You always know exactly what I’m thinking, my lady.” 

They leap into action. Ladybug yanks on the yo-yo string and Red Hood stumbles. While he regains his balance, Chat throws his staff at the villain’s stomach, knocking him off his feet. It feels good. Without Red X in the picture of this battle, Chat is able to push aside his worries regarding the looming talk with Ladybug and fight without inhibition. 

“Any idea where the akuma might be?” Ladybug asks, while Red Hood groans on the ground. 

“Nope. Might be covered by the jacket.” 

“He hasn’t revealed any special abilities yet,” Ladybug muses. “It could be the hood? Because of the name?” 

“I dunno...I hit it pretty hard earlier.” 

Suddenly, a red shuriken fies in between their faces. They look back and see the villain charging at them, throwing shuriken fast as lightning. 

“Yikes!” Chat yelps. “He recovers fast.” 

“Chat, look!” Ladybug shouts, pointing at the shuriken on the ground. 

He follows her gaze and his jaw drops when he recognizes the familiar X shape of the shuriken.

“No way. Red X and Red Hood have the same weapons dealer?” 

“No Chat!” Ladybug swings out of the way of explosive X’s that Red Hood now fires from his gloves. “I think this  _ is _ Red X!” 

Chat stumbles. Red X? Not again.

“I thought he was  _ working _ for Hawkmoth!” Chat yells over the din. Explosions rock the streets and civilians scream in fear. 

“He must have been turned into an akuma somehow!” 

They both leap at Red Hood head-on, but to their surprise, the akumatized villain has even more gadgets up his sleeve. A force field rises up around him, clamping shut just as the heroes make contact with it. The energy from the dome rebounds them into distant rubble. 

Ladybug groans, the first one to recover. 

“Chat?” she calls. “Where are you?” 

A hand sticks out weakly. “Here,” he mutters. 

She quickly reaches over and pushes aside some rubble so he can get free. “What was that?” 

“Force field...he hasn’t used that before.” Chat coughs. 

Red Hood’s maniacal laughter draws nearer, knowing that he has the heroes right where he wants them. 

“What are we going to do?” Ladybug wracks her head for ideas. 

Chat’s stomach turns, but he has an idea. “Listen...when I fought X before, I found out that he’s useless without the utility belt. That must be where the akuma is.” 

Ladybug frowns. “Wait...you fought X before? Alone?”

He looks away, ashamed. “Yes. I meant to tell you, but after that night at Chloé’s...I couldn’t.” 

“I thought you were keeping something from me...what happened, Chat?” 

“Red X threatened me. He figured out my secret identity...I don’t know how, but he knows, and he told me he would reveal it unless I let him steal as he pleases. I...I wanted to tell you but I wasn’t sure how you would react and…” Chat drops his shoulders. “I just didn’t know what to do.” 

To his surprise, Ladybug pulls him into a hug. “Thank you for telling me,” she says. “I feel silly for ever mistrusting you! And I’m sorry you had to bear that burden alone.” 

She pulls away, holding his shoulders at arm's length. “I would have helped you no matter what. And I still will. We’ll figure this out together, no?” 

Chat smiles, his spirits rising. “Yes, we will.” 

Another explosion rocks the street. Ladybug and Chat Noir look back towards the fray, even more determined now.

“I think we’re going to need some luck on our side,” Chat says, looking pointedly at Ladybug. 

She nods, throwing her yo-yo into the air. “Lucky Charm!” 

A brilliant light explodes overhead, blinding Red Hood momentarily. When it clears, Ladybug catches a tennis racket in her hands. 

“How are we going to use this?” she asks incredulously. 

“I have an idea.” Chat runs toward Red Hood. “I hope you’re good at tennis!” 

Puzzled, but trusting Chat’s plan, Ladybug stands poised with her tennis racket, eyes peeled for a good opportunity to use it. 

“Yoo-hoo!” Chat taunts Red Hood, skipping back and forth. He starts picking up pieces of rubble from the ground and hitting them at the villain with his staff like baseball. 

The annoying tactic achieves its desired result. Red Hood fires sticky goo out of his gloves. 

_ Boy I hope this works. _ Chat dodges the ball of goo and yells back to Ladybug: “He served! Go go!” 

Ladybug laughs out loud at Chat’s crazy plan, but she swings well and makes contact with the goo. It bounces off the racket, flies past Chat Noir again and hits Red Hood in the face. 

“It won’t be that easy!” Red Hood roars, firing off more goo. 

“One-love!” Chat whoops. “Ladybug’s point!” 

It becomes a match of dodgeball-tennis. Chat continues to dodge balls of sticky goo while Ladybug hits them back. Inevitably, some do land in the wrong places, and at one point she accidentally hits Chat in the back. 

“Oh no!” she yelps. “I’m so sorry!” 

Chat looks back at the lump on his shoulder. “I probably deserved that.” He winks. “Keep playing!” 

Red Hood is defeated before long, rendered completely immobile by the sticky goo.

“Cataclysm!” Chat shouts, bringing down his hand on the utility belt and destroying it. Sure enough, a black butterfly flies out of the dust, and the red hood starts to dissolve until Red X’s familiar mask is revealed underneath. 

“Bye bye, pretty butterfly,” Ladybug murmurs, and purifies the akuma. 

“What happened?” X groans, picking himself off the ground. 

“Hawkmoth turned you into an akuma.” Chat crosses his arms. “So much for being a hired thief.” 

“Dammit,” X mutters. He bolts and starts climbing the adjacent building. 

“Stop!” Chat shouts. “That building isn’t stable!” 

X makes it all the way to the tenth floor before the supports begin to crumble. He shouts in panic and loses his balance, falling...falling…

“I got him!” Chat takes a diving leap and absorbs most of X’s fall just as he hits the ground. 

The thief growls in frustration, rolling off the hero. “I didn’t need you to save me!” 

Chat shrugs. “I’m a superhero. It’s what I do.” 

“Your loss,” X sneers. He reaches down to his belt to teleport away, but realizes that it’s gone. 

“Looking for this?” Ladybug dangles the now-restored utility belt from her hands. “Sorry X. You’re not getting away today.” 

Defeated, X allows himself to be tied to the lamppost. Ladybug holds out a fist to Chat Noir. He grins and brings up his own to meet hers. 

“Bien joué!”


	6. Carmine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In the aftermath of his defeat, Red X plans his next steps carefully and swears vengeance on Hawkmoth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This has one of my favorite akuma villains so far (at least design-wise) but sadly her reign is short-lived. Hope you guys enjoy this chapter and thank you for reading!

“His name is Red X.” Chat Noir explains. “He’s the one who’s been terrorizing shop owners and stealing from everyone.”

Cameras flash as reporters jostle one another for a good angle of the costumed heroes.

“Do you know how many millions of dollars were lost to one thief?” one reporter exclaims. “Why didn’t you stop him sooner?”

Chat’s confident smile falters slightly at this question, but luckily for him, Ladybug is able to deflect it with practiced ease.

“You can be sure that the police will find all the belongings that X stole and return them to their rightful owners.” She smiles brightly at the crowd, who seem satisfied with her answer.

After the press dissipates, Ladybug and Chat tie up their business with Lieutenant Raincomprix.

“Red X will be locked up for good.” He shakes both their hands. “Paris is safe again, thanks to you.”

“I’m glad you think so.” Chat rubs his head. “Not everyone seems to agree nowadays.”

Raincomprix shrugs. “You saved me from Hawkmoth’s akuma before. That’s not something I can easily forget. Don’t let it get to you kids...people don’t understand what it’s like to be under his influence.”

Chat shivers. While he’s never been akumatized himself, the memory of the time Dark Cupid turned his love for Ladybug into hate is something he can never forget. He hopes that he will never lose control like that again.

“Your support means the world to us,” Ladybug says sincerely.

The policeman salutes them goodnaturedly. “I’ll always be here when you call.”

Chat notices the time then, flicking his ears in distress when he realizes it’s getting late in the day. Mid-day press conferences always disrupt his delicately-packed schedule.

“I’ll be going then, my lady.” He bows and kisses her hand. “Always a pleasure fighting the media together.”

Ladybug rolls her eyes as usual, but smiles nonetheless, happy that Chat has returned to his old self. “Speak for yourself, silly kitty. We still have to work on your stage presence.”

Chat pouts, offended. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. Reporters fall at my feet!”

In response, Ladybug tugs on his tail, making him lose his balance. She laughs and bops him on the nose as he groans.

“You did well,” she concedes. “Just don’t let that get to your head.”

He watches her swing away, too enamoured by her figure in the sky to pick himself off the ground.

-x-

In Red X’s experience, every jail is the same, no matter where it is. Cold, white walls and stone faced guards on duty. The same bland food and nothing but a book of crossword puzzles to keep him company.

On the bright side, every jail is equally easy to escape from. Given a couple of days, X will be long gone from this facility and they’ll be kicking themselves for not authenticating his fake ID.

“Here you are, Monsieur Smith. Home sweet home."

X hides his smirk as he walks into the cell. He picked the most generic name and still managed to fool these guys.

The door slams closed and he turns to his new cellmate. “Bonjour,” he waves cheerfully. “Looks like we’re living together for the next few days.”

The other occupant, a burly, tattooed man, grunts in response. “Few days because you’re gonna try and escape like an idiot or because I’m gonna snap your pretty neck by the end of the week?”

X whistles lowly. “Aren’t you welcoming...guess you’ll just have to find out, eh?”

It turns out, neither is correct. In the middle of the night, X is rudely shaken awake and dragged out of bed.

“Pack your bags,” the guard says, looking just as surprised as X does. “Someone bailed you out.”

He almost laughs when his suit is returned to him. They really have never handled a real supervillain before.

The guards escort him outside, where a black limousine is waiting for him. X raises an eyebrow, particularly when the door opens and the driver gives him a look that says, “Get in, or else.”

He can’t help but blow the prison guards a kiss before he slips into the limo. As soon as the door closes though, he grows serious. There is a screen between the driver and himself so neither can see the other. X gets the feeling that they wouldn’t be able to hear each other either.

The car begins to move. A TV screen descends from the ceiling and turns on, revealing Hawkmoth’s face.

“Hello, Jason,” he smirks.

“Don’t call me that,” X grows. He leans forward in his seat, so angry he could rip the screen off its hinges. “What the _hell_ did you do to me?”

“Just now, I bailed you from prison. Don’t worry about your identity being revealed. The driver cannot hear our conversation. This is just between you and me.”

“Thanks for your consideration,” X drawls sarcastically. “You know damn well what I’m talking about.”

“You were being uncooperative. The akuma was sent as a warning message. Besides, you were clearly losing control over your emotions, or else my akuma would not have been able to take hold.”

“And you thought that...possessing me without my consent was going to make me more _cooperative_? You must be dumber than I thought.”

“I would expect you to be more grateful.” Hawkmoth narrows his eyes. “If we can decide on a more suitable way to collaborate, I can use my influence to clear your name completely. As it stands currently, you still have to go on trial.”

“No. _John Smith_ has to go on trial. If they can’t even figure out my real name, I don’t owe them anything.”

“There are more ways to destroy a person than with their name.”

X sighs. “Listen Hawkmoth. I know you’re acting all macho and whatever, but you’ve got nothing on me. Jason Todd might have been the first name I used, but it’s not the last. I’m not tied down by things like that anymore. So stop trying to scare me into thinking you’ve got me trapped.”

“And yet, I can still take away what you want. Please, I don’t intend to be antagonistic. I simply want you to listen.”

After a pause, X crosses his arms in resignation. “Fine. I’ll listen. What do you want?”

Hawkmoth leans forward. “I know that you discovered Chat Noir’s identity. Tell me who he is and perhaps we can consider your end of the bargain completed. I will have his ring and you can go home richer than you were before. Even without the jewelry you stole.”

“Tempting.” X pauses. “But I can’t tell you who he is.”

Hawkmoth’s face grows red under his mask. “What did you say?”

“I can’t tell you who he is.” X repeats. “Chat Noir saved my life during the fight...so as much as I hate to admit it, I owe him a debt now.”

“Forget about that! I can give you the money you desire!”

“Yeah, but without Chat Noir I wouldn’t be alive now to take that money. I gotta give it to him...he sure is good at being a hero.”

“Very well. I see that you have made your decision.” Hawkmoth presses a button and signals the driver to stop the car. The door opens.

“You can say goodbye to your precious funds, Red X. Good luck making it out of Paris with the police on your tail and no extra cash.”

“You’re kidding me.”

Hawkmoth leans back in his chair. “Our partnership is over. I’ll enjoy watching the manhunt unfold.”

“I chased after those kids for you! Don’t blame me just because your plans are failures.”

“Weeks have passed and I still do not have the Miraculouses. You told me you were the greatest thief I would find. I’m afraid you haven’t quite lived up to my standards.”

“You’ll regret this, Hawkmoth.” Red X warns as he gets out of the car. “I never forget people without honor.”

“And I never pay much attention to the _poor_. Goodbye, Red X.”

The limo speeds away. Red X runs back to his hotel, mind buzzing the entire time. His new mission: get the hell out of Paris as soon as possible...but not before he ruins Hawkmoth’s life.

Unfortunately, as soon as he reaches his room, he realizes that his utility belt is no longer in his possession. He thinks back to yesterday’s events and remembers that Chat Noir destroyed it with his powers.

“Dammit!” X shouts, throwing his suit against the wall. It’s useless without the belt.

But then, a memory pulls on his mind.

“The buildings were all fixed after the fight, like magic,” he mutters to himself. “How did that happen?”

After a quick search, a clip on the Ladyblog reveals the answer. It shows Ladybug, throwing her Lucky Charm in the air as a bright light restores everything to its original form.

“My belt is probably still out there,” he muses. Deciding that he likely won’t get much sleep anyway, he quickly rushes out again, back to the street where he fought the heroes.

Sure enough, he finds the utility belt, pushed against the foundation of a building, but to his horror, it still lies in pieces.

“It should have been fixed!” he frowns. “What happened?”

Then he notices it: crumbling cement at the base of the building and the red goo that still holds it together.

“The belt must have fallen just out of range,” he realizes. “Even a lucky charm has its limits…”

He carefully pockets all the belt pieces and leisurely walks back to the hotel, his next steps beginning to take shape in his mind.

-x-

Marinette bounces into class in a much better mood. Now that Red X has been dealt with, it feels like an entire weight has been lifted off her shoulders.

“The Ladyblog is exploding!” Alya grins. “Ladybug and Chat Noir were amazing yesterday. People can’t stop talking about them.”

“That Red X is done for,” Marinette beams. “Good riddance.”

“Seriously!” Adrien jumps into the conversation. “I think Ladybug might be asked to join France’s tennis team after this.”

Marinette wills herself not to blush by his indirect compliment. “She wouldn’t be anything without Chat Noir,” she notes. “I’m glad to see that they’re getting along again.”

“I wonder what happened,” Alya muses. “Lovers quarrel perhaps?”

“They’re not together,” Marinette and Adrien interject at the same time. The former is desperate to dispel the rumors while the latter looks almost wistful.

“Whatever you guys say,” Alya rolls her eyes.”You haven’t watched them as closely as I have. At the very least, you can’t deny that there’s tension between them.”

Marinette blanches. “Is there? I never noticed.”

“Of course! Not everyone is as oblivious as you, Marinette.”

“Chat flirts with her all the time,” Nino nods in agreement.

“He doesn’t mean anything by it,” Marinette protests.

“No way!” Nino, Alya and Adrien look at her in shock.

“He’s like that with everyone!” Marinette squeaks. “Right?”

“I think Ladybug will always hold a special place in Chat’s heart,” Adrien replies sincerely.

She looks at him, surprised, never having actually considered the possibility that Chat’s attempts at romance were genuine.

But before she has time to process this information further, Mr. Damocles claps his hands loudly.

“Alright, settle down students. I won’t take too much of your time today, because we have fortunately found a new substitute teacher. He is excellent, very proficient in Literature and English, and I hope you will all welcome him. Now we are still looking for a more permanent solution, but-”

 _Crash!_ The window shatters and Damocles barely avoids being hit by a brick. All the students jump up in shock.

“Mr. Damocles!” Chloé screams.

Through the now-empty frame, a young girl floats into the classroom. Her smirk is accentuated by the evil gleam in her eyes.

“Where is Alya Césaire?” she shouts. Instinctively, Marinette takes a step to the side to shield her friend.

“That looks like your Lady Wifi costume,” Nino gasps softly. The villain’s suit is indeed very similar, but she has a tactical visor instead of a mask and the wifi symbol on her suit glows green. Holographic lines of binary code circle her body, enabling her to fly.

“Man, her outfit is so much cooler,” Alya whispers indignantly. She squares her shoulder and steps up.

“Looking for me?”

“Alya, no!”

The akuma villain’s head snaps in Alya’s direction as soon as she hears her voice. Her smirk grows wider.

“Meet your match, Césaire!” she shouts. “I am Blogger, and I am tired of living in your shadow!”

Alya’s eyes widen in recognition. “Madeleine Giroux? You’re the one who hacked my blog last month!”

“That’s right! My Chatterbox content is ten times the quality of the overrated gossip column you call the Ladyblog.”

“Hey! I worked hard to get the Ladyblog where it is. Don’t come after me just because you’re upset your work is going unnoticed.”

“Shut up!” Blogger screams, extending her hand and knocking Alya out of the classroom with lines of code.

“Alya!” her friends shout.

“Everyone out!” Damocles shouts, bravely standing in the doorway as the students scurry past. “Now, I won’t have you destroying my school young lady-”

“Who’s gonna stop me?” she taunts, making computer code crawl up the principal’s body. “Certainly not you, old man.”

Damocles grunts in pain as he is flung against the wall. .

“Or the police,” Blogger continues, “or even-”

“What about us?” Ladybug and Chat Noir stand in front of Alya, spinning their weapons menacingly.

Ladybug frowns. “Sorry Blogger, but our track record is better than yours.”

She swings her yo-yo at Blogger, who sends code back in return. They exchange blows like this for a few seconds, solid matter bouncing off the holographic light when it looks like it should pass right through.

Chat Noir tries to attack from behind, but Blogger uses her tactical visor to fight both heroes at the same time, using code-like whips. They can’t even get close enough to touch her.

“Get Alya out of here!” Ladybug shouts over her shoulder. Kim and Alix rush up to help Alya, angering Blogger.

“No! She’s mine.” Code forms in the shape of a giant hand, reaching towards the terrified students, but Ladybug leaps in front of them. The hand grabs her instead, and pitches her across the courtyard.

“Ugh,” Ladybug groans. “No good.”

There’s another thud as Chat lands right next to her. “Yeowch,” he mutters. “I always knew technology hated me.”

To their horror, on the balcony above, Blogger now has a still-unconscious Alya in her grasp. She floats higher and higher, clearly intending to drop the other girl.

“I work hard every day to get more traffic on my blog, but does anyone acknowledge it?” Tears start to form at the corner of her eyes. “Do you know how it feels when everyone ignores your passion? It _hurts_!”

“We have to stop her.” Ladybug looks at Chat, panicked. “If she drops Alya from that height-”

“Say no more.” Chat grips his staff tightly. “I think we might need a Lucky Charm for this one.”

This time, Ladybug is given a single roll of red duct tape.

“What are we going to do with that?” Chat frowns. “Make a net out of duct tape?”

“Wait!” Ladybug perks up with an idea. “What did Red X always do when he was facing an enemy more powerful than him? He used his agility against them.”

“So you’re saying…” A smile spreads across Chat’s face as he catches on. “You are truly brilliant, my lady.”

“You’d better move fast.” Ladybug hands him the duct tape and ruffles his ears affectionately.

With a nod, Chat bounds up the wall, headed for the rooftop. Ladybug runs under Blogger, trying to predict where Alya will fall.

“I’m tired of this!” the villain finishes her tirade. “The Ladyblog’s reign is over!”

Then, Chat leaps up from the roof, duct tape at the ready. Before Blogger can react, he binds her arms to her side, the duct tape forming a familiar X shape.

Blogger shrieks as she loses the use of her arms. The code dissipates and all three begin to fall. The students watching below gasp in fear and Ladybug rushes to catch Alya.

“Uh-oh!” Chat keeps one arm wrapped around Blogger tightly, while the other grabs his staff. He is able to land them on the ground safely, noting with relief that Ladybug managed to save Alya as well.

Ladybug rushes over, grabbing Blogger’s wrist to inspect the smartwatch she wears.

“Gotcha.” She takes the watch and breaks it on the ground, revealing the akuma.

Chat hands her the duct tape. “Would you like to do the honors?”

When the Lucky Charm clears the scene and repairs all damages on the premises, paramedics arrive to inspect Alya’s condition. Back to her senses, Madeleine sobs at Alya’s side, apologizing over and over for her actions.

“Hey, it’s alright.” Alya gives her rival a hug. “Listen, why don’t we meet up to talk sometime? I’d like to give you some tips.”

Marinette and Adrien stand behind Alya, glad to see that some good can come out of an akuma attack.

In the midst of the chaos, a professionally-dressed man walks into the courtyard, looking a bit confused at the events.

“Ah! I’m so sorry!” Damocles rushes towards the man, shaking his hand. “I’m sure you must have been startled while you were waiting in my office. I’m afraid classes will not resume today, but I should introduce you to your class.”

He clears his throat, once again gathering the attention of the students. “Class, please welcome your substitute teacher.”

Thomas Roux, the newest alias of the famed Red X, smiles warmly, adjusting his eyeglasses. Not only is there a newly-repaired utility belt in his bag, but Adrien Agreste is now one of his students.

“Nice to meet you all,” he nods. “This is going to be fun.”


	7. Tenth Life

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ladybug and Chat Noir find an unexpected ally in their struggle against Hawkmoth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Holidays everyone! We've got a new chapter for you. Hawkmoth is up to no good as usual, but mistakes tend to lead to success...

“This passage clearly leads us to the conclusion that Hamlet was indeed obsessed with necromancy and the undead.” Mr. Roux rambles on passionately, flipping through pages of Shakespeare’s text while seeming oblivious to the shocked looks of his students. 

Adrien and Nino share confused glances. In the back, Rose Lavillant tentatively raises her hand. 

“Excuse me, Mr. Roux?” she squeaks. “I’m not sure I’m following...which passage are you referring to?” 

“Turn to page fifty-five and you’ll see it right there,” Mr. Roux responds. Half the class realizes they are in the wrong act and a quick flurry of turning pages fills the room. 

“There’s no mention of the dead in this passage whatsoever!” Alya protests. “I’m sorry Mr. Roux, but if you could just clarify-”

“Miss...Césaire, was it? This is an exercise on reading between the lines. I trust you did the reading for today’s lecture?”  

Alya clenches her jaw. “Of course. I adore Shakespeare’s  _ Hamlet _ and always want to learn more about it. I’m just...curious about your interpretation.” 

“And I intend to enlighten you! By the end of the day, you’ll see what I am talking about.” 

Sighing in defeat, Alya gives Marinette a dubious look. The other girl shrugs in response. 

“He’s definitely not Miss Bustier, that’s for sure,” Adrien sighs during lunch. 

The four students eat with varying levels of annoyance; Alya and Nino fuming while Adrien tries to push worries from his head. Marinette’s head is stuck in the book, partly as a tactic to avoid eye contact with Adrien. 

“I don’t know where the school found him, but Mr. Roux doesn’t know what he’s talking about,” Alya grumbles. 

“I’ll say,” Nino chimes in. “He got Rosencrantz and Guildenstern’s characters completely mixed up!” 

“I mean...he  _ is _ talking to a skull in the ‘to be or not to be’ soliloquy.” Marinette frowns at the text. 

“Yes, but not in the passage he was talking about! And I acknowledge that there’s an obvious connection to death in the play, but necromancy? Come on.” 

“Maybe Mr. Roux just reads it differently?” Adrien suggests. 

“He can read it however he wants.” Alya shakes her head. “But I want to see the evidence.”

“Maybe we should ask Mr. Roux to write an essay for the class,” Adrien jokes. 

“Or get Chloé to fire him,” Nino snickers. “That’d be easy.” 

“Guys, please,” Marinette sighs. “I’m willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. It’s only been a day.” 

Alya shrugs, furiously chewing at her sandwich. “Ever the good student, Marinette.” 

Suddenly, bright red boots step onto the table out of nowhere. The four look up in shock at the akuma villain who suddenly appears in their midst. 

“Hm, this place looks exactly as I expected,” he sneers. “Figures Ladybug and Chat Noir would have a soft spot for rich school kids.” 

While the other students stare in shock, Alya whips out her phone, snapping a close up of the villain’s bulky mechanical suit, painted yellow and black. A red light stick hangs from his belt. 

As soon as Alya’s camera flash goes off, the villain’s gaze snaps to her. He doesn’t notice Marinette slowly sliding out of her chair. 

“What’s this?” He looks Alya up and down. “Who are you?” 

“Alya Césaire, at your service. I run the Ladyblog. You might’ve heard of it. Well, maybe not, but enough about me! What’s your story? Who are you? 

“I am Portal Master!” the villain declares. Alya’s thumbs fly over her phone screen, taking notes. “I’m tired of being ignored, despite how hard I work to keep you all safe.” 

Nino raises an eyebrow. “The crossing guard is being akumatized now? Hawkmoth really isn’t taking anything seriously.” 

“You all answer to me now!” Portal Master roars. He jumps from the table and onto the ground with a loud boom.

Both Marinette and Adrien bolt in opposite directions, aiming for the bathrooms, but Portal Master raises his gauntlets, palms lighting up bright red. Two circular portals appear in front of them, but before they can stop themselves, they run right through their respective portal. 

“Marinette! Adrien!” Alya and Nino gasp. 

There’s a loud yell from behind them. Everyone turns in time to watch Marinette and Adrien tumble out from another pair of portals. Immediately, their friends run to help them. 

“No one leaves this place until Ladybug and Chat Noir come and surrender.” Portal Master declares. He sets up portals all around the cafeteria, trapping all of the students in a large ring. 

“For your sake,” he continues. “I hope they arrive quickly.” 

“What do we do?” Marinette gasps, still reeling from the shock of teleporting from one place to another. 

Alya raises her phone. “We’ll call the police and post updates on the Ladyblog. Don’t worry, I’m sure Ladybug and Chat Noir will show up in record time! They always seem to know right away when we’re in trouble!” 

Marinette’s stomach drops at the same time that Adrien’s face pales. Both are afraid that this time around, the superheroes won’t be able to save the day. 

Minutes later, police sirens close in on the school. They surround the cafeteria but are still unable to get past the portal barriers. Portal Master cackles with glee as he plays around with the policemen, watching them run themselves in circles from portal to portal. 

“One of these portals leads inside,” he taunts. “You just have to figure out which one!”

“All at once!” the chief shouts, and a hoard of policemen charge at the portals. They all wind up running out into the streets, directly in front of cars or pedestrians. The disoriented officers tumble over civilians and nearly cause a traffic jam. 

“Whoops!” Portal Master smirks. “The correct portal was that one.” He points above him, then waves a hand. His palms glow green and the portal disappears. “Too bad, better luck next time!” 

Ladybug and Chat Noir have yet to appear. Inside the villain’s mind, Hawkmoth growls an order.

_ “They must be planning to catch you off guard. Let’s tempt them out of their hiding place.”  _

“Excellent idea, Hawkmoth.” Portal Master circles the cafeteria, eyeing all the students. “Now...how could I hit them where it hurts?” 

His eyes fall on Marinette.

“You!” He marches up to her, sitting by the wall with her friends. “Get up!” 

Alya nudges her, telling her to do as he asks. Marinette stands shakily, but meets his gaze.

“Why don’t you help me with a little demonstration? I think Ladybug will surrender once she sees what I can really do.” 

Marinette swallows nervously. “That won’t work,” she responds, voice steady. 

“What confidence these heroes have inspired in the people,” Portal Master mocks. “How do you know they haven’t abandoned you after all?” 

“Ladybug and Chat Noir have faced countless akuma before.” Marinette clenches her fists. “You couldn’t scare them.” 

“Then where are they?” Portal Master roars. 

_ Really, where is Chat? _ Marinette wonders. If he showed up on his own, perhaps he could cause enough chaos that she could get away and transform. 

“I’ve waited long enough. This ends now!” 

Portal Master flicks his wrist, palms glowing red once again. Marinette squeaks when a portal appears beneath her feet, sucking her in. 

“No!” Adrien shouts, running out. Portal Master raises another hand and Marinette falls from the sky, screaming as she tumbles towards the ground. 

At the last minute, he opens a portal to catch her fall. Another one appears to his left and out tumbles a terrified Marinette, very relieved to feel solid ground under her fingertips. 

“Stop this!” 

Portal Master turns and notices Adrien then. The boy stands in front of Marinette defiantly, determined to fight the akuma despite having no powers. 

“You’re brave,” Portal Master raises his hand, the light slowly turning red. “If you want to try and play hero, so be it.” 

Adrien runs to him, despite his friends’ shocked yells. He has no plan in mind, just to distract Portal Master in some way. 

He runs directly into a portal, then proceeds to be thrown across the room from portal to portal, most of them in mid-air. All the students scream, Adrien loudest of all, while Portal Master laughs at the game is is playing. 

_ “Not him!”  _ Hawkmoth orders, but the akuma is too focused on the task at hand to pay attention.

“Stop!” Marinette screams. “You’re going to kill him!” She watches in horror as Adrien’s body falls limply into another portal, clearly having passed out from shock.  

“We have to transform, Tikki,” Marinette groans. “I can’t watch him kill Adrien.” 

“Come out, Ladybug!” Portal Master shouts. “Next time, I don’t catch him.” 

He opens a portal high up in the sky and Adrien falls from it. Marinette leaps up, preparing to transform, when suddenly a red sticky projectile flies out from above, striking Portal Master in the face. 

“Gah!” he yells, placing a hand to his face, getting it stuck in the process. 

A black and red blur descends into the cafeteria, catching Adrien before he hits the ground. Red X gently lowers his body to the ground, shaking his head.

“Now we’re even,” he mutters, standing up to face the akuma villain, who finally managed to clear his vision. 

“Hey Portal Master,” he shouts. “Tell Hawkmoth to back the hell off.” 

No one is more shocked to see Red X than Marinette. 

“He escaped?” she mumbles, trying to process the whole thing.

“Don’t complain now,” Tikki squeaks. “He’s helping you!” 

“Red X,” Portal Master narrows his eyes. “Hawkmoth has a special bone to pick with you.” 

“Oh I’m sure he does,” X raises a handful of shuriken. “Listen, we could do this the easy way, or we could see if Hawkmoth gave you the short end of the stick too.” 

“What do you mean?” 

X sighs. “Can you do anything besides make portals?” 

The villain doesn’t respond. X presses on, knowing he has the villain caught. “Listen, Hawkmoth purposely builds in a weakness to all his akuma. That’s why he keeps  _ losing _ . He’s too afraid to take a risk.” 

“Why would he do that?” Portal Master’s voice wavers slightly. 

“He doesn’t want his akuma to turn on him,” Red X looks directly at Portal Master’s eyes. “Isn’t that right, Hawkmoth?” 

Portal Master reels back, clutching his head as Hawkmoth shouts out an order. 

“I can fight you with portals alone,” he grits out. “You’ll see.” 

“Sure,” X fires off his shuriken. “But if you can’t see me, you can’t catch me.” 

Portal Master barely manages to dodge the shuriken, but when he looks up, he realizes that X is nowhere to be seen, having used his utility belt to disappear. 

In frustration, the akuma villain unleashes all his energy, creating portals left and right at random, hoping to catch X in one of them. Portals pop in and out of existence as students rush towards the walls to avoid the mayhem in the center of the room. 

In the chaos, Marinette manages to slip into the kitchen and duck under the counter. 

“Let’s do it, Tikki!” she whispers. “Transform!” 

She makes it outside just in time to see Red X materialize right behind Portal Master. 

“Boo,” X says in his ear. He pulls the red lightstick from the villain’s belt and breaks it in half. The akuma flies out and Portal Master returns to a normal crossing guard. 

“Sorry I’m late!” Ladybug rushes in, a little irked that X defeated the villain before she got the chance to. 

“You’re right on time.” X smirks. “You owe me one, Ladybug.” 

“We’ll see about that,” Ladybug frowns. But as she releases her Lucky Charm to the sound of her classmates’ cheers, she can’t help but wonder who exactly they are cheering for. 

-x-

Hawkmoth nearly snaps his cane when he sees reports of Portal Master’s battle with Red X on the news. 

“He’s made his position very clear,” he growls. “But if he thinks that gaining public support will stop me, he is sorely mistaken.” 

Immediately, he picks up the phone and dials a well-known number. 

“Hello, this is Gabriel Agreste.”

“Oh, Monsieur Agreste,” the telephone operator responds respectfully. “How can I help you?”

“I believe I have some surveillance footage that would be of interest to the police.” 

With the press of a button, an image of the Bourgeois mansion pops up on the screen. Red X can be seen clearly sneaking in through a window. 

“I’ve discovered the perpetrator of the Bourgeois robbery. Not even Chat Noir reported Red X at the scene of the crime. I believe this is all the evidence you will need?” 

“Of course...I will inform the chief immediately.”

A slow smile spreads across Hawkmoth’s face. “Excellent. Please see to it that Red X does not leave France.” 

He hangs up the phone, still smirking at his victory. Red X would be caught soon enough. Not even an expert thief could avoid an entire country of policemen. 

Suddenly, the security footage is replaced by an incoming video call. Before Hawkmoth can even decline, a shadowy figure appears on screen. 

“Who are you?” Hawkmoth grips his cane tightly, trying to hide his surprise. 

“We have a proposal for you. I believe it would be in your best interests to listen.” 


	8. Crimson

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> New enemies enter the game and it seems the masked heroes have met their match.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning for gun-related injuries!

“We have a proposal for you,” the shadowy figure explains, leaning forward. “I believe it would be in your best interests to listen.” 

Hawkmoth narrows his eyes. “Is that a threat?” 

“Only if you refuse. But let’s not get off on the wrong foot. We have no ill intentions, truly.”

“Speak then.” Hawkmoth clenches his jaw, already irritated with this turn of events. 

“Allow me to introduce our organization. We are the Lions of Babylon. Our work does not concern you, but I believe an alliance can be struck nonetheless.” 

Hawkmoth’s frown deepens. For a group he has never heard of, they sure hold themselves in high regard. 

“I’ll lay it out simply. We know how you hired the thief Red X to steal the legendary Miraculouses from Ladybug and Chat Noir. Clearly, he has failed his mission. Our men can do what Red X was unable to.” 

“What’s the catch?” Hawkmoth asks, sparing no time skirting around the obvious question. 

“Once we have captured them, the Miraculouses will be delivered to your doorstep. But we want Ladybug and Chat Noir.”

Hawkmoth tries to hide his surprise. He expected the Lions to ask for money, secret information maybe, but this? This was completely unexpected. 

“What do you want with them?” 

“That is for us to know, Hawkmoth. And for your trouble, we’ll even dispose of Red X for you. Just to...sweeten up the deal.” 

Hawkmoth doesn’t believe their promises for a second, but he senses an opportunity nonetheless. 

“Very well, your terms sound reasonable. An alliance would benefit the both of us. Though I hope you realize that if you fail me like Red X did, then I can make your lives a living hell.” 

There is a smile in the other figure’s voice. “I would expect nothing less from the great Hawkmoth.” 

“And how do I refer to you?” 

The shadowy figure leans forward, revealing a face hardened by battle, marked by various scars from old campaigns. 

“Nemean,” he answers. “Commander Nemean. I’m glad we were able to come to an agreement.” 

-x-

“No. Absolutely not.” 

Ladybug cannot believe what is happening. She’s standing on the rooftop, the typical rendezvous point with Chat, but this time there is a third individual joining them: Red X. 

“Listen, if I didn’t save your butts back there with Portal Master, you’d have a couple dead teenagers on your record and bad press for years to come. Ladybug and Chat Noir would be done for. You owe me one.” 

She huffs, grudgingly acknowledging his point. Portal Master’s attack had been an unfortunate fluke. Neither hero had been able to show up at the scene in time, the result of circumstances they couldn’t necessarily explain without revealing a major clue to their identities. 

“And let you roam free about Paris? Not a chance.” 

“Did you even hear me? I’m offering to  _ help  _ you.” 

Ladybug throws up her hands. “You’re a known thief and criminal. Forgive me if I’m not so quick to believe you have good intentions.” 

“We have similar goals, so why not work together against Hawkmoth?” 

“As soon as we let our guard down you’ll stab us in the back.” 

Red X rolls his eyes, exasperated. “I’m not going to hand your Miraculouses over to him.” 

“Hawkmoth isn’t the only one who would pay a high price for them,” Ladybug fires back.

“You should trust me! I’m perfectly trustworthy.” 

“Sure you are! We’ll just forget about how you blackmailed Chat and betrayed Hawkmoth. I see right through your mask, Red X.” 

Both of them look to Chat, asking for support. He glances back and forth between the two, holding up his hands. 

“Don’t get me wrong, I’m not exactly jumping at the chance to work with him, my lady.” 

Sensing a second part to the statement, Red X looks to Ladybug triumphantly. 

“But,” Chat continues. “I do think that he could give us an edge against Hawkmoth…” 

“Ridiculous!” Ladybug sputters. “The world has gone absolutely insane.” 

A distant explosion cuts off their argument. All three heads whip towards the noise, ready for action. Red X quirks his head at Ladybug. 

“What do you say, Ladybug? How about a test run?” 

He nimbly makes his way from rooftop to rooftop. After a moment, Ladybug starts spinning her yo-yo, looking at Chat with apprehension. 

“Do you trust him?” she asks. 

Chat presses his lips together. “Of course not. But I  _ do _ trust that if he steps out of line, we’ll be able to stop him again.” 

Ladybug sighs. “I really hope I don’t regret this.” She swings off the roof, followed closely by Chat, both at Red X’s tail. 

They learn that the explosion came from a nearby shopping center, just about to close for the night. Unfortunately, the citizens have not yet vacated the premises, eager to get their hands on last minute deals before the shops close. Instead, they now run about in panic, shouting at one another in confusion. No one knows what is going on. 

The three land in the middle of the square, right next to a majestic fountain. They notice that most crowds are coming from one direction, so that’s likely where the akuma is. 

Suddenly, Chat’s ears twitch and he frowns in confusion. 

“Do you hear that?” he asks. 

“Hear what?” Ladybug raises an eyebrow. 

“Gunfire.” 

They look at one another in panic and rush towards the scene. Instead of a brightly costumed akuma villain, they see several soldiers crouched behind cars, trading gunfire with local policemen. 

“What’s going on?” Ladybug freezes in her tracks. 

“Let’s help clear the streets.” Chat grips his staff tightly. “Getting civilians out of the line of fire is our first priority.” 

Many are relieved to see the familiar heroes and quickly follow instructions as Ladybug and Chat direct the crowds. Red X has a little more trouble; people are less than willing to listen to the famed criminal. Eventually he gives up, choosing instead to climb up to a balcony and survey the situation. 

“Are you sure you kids will be able to handle this?” he calls down. “Not sure you’ve ever had experience fighting real villains before.” 

“Our job is to protect Paris,” Chat nods firmly. “That’s what we’re going to do.” 

Ladybug echoes his sentiment, though it’s clear that both of them are shaken. 

By now, helicopters are circling overhead, camera crews honed in on the scene of the crime.

“We need to disarm them,” Ladybug decides. “Any ideas?” 

“Sticky goo!” Chat suggests. “If X goes in and immobilizes them it’ll be much easier to disarm all of the soldiers quickly.” 

“See, you do need me.” X looks pointedly at Ladybug. 

She purses her lips. “We’ll discuss this later. Can we get moving?” 

“Yes ma’am,” the other two chorus. 

“Chat, you go left,” Ladybug instructs. “I’ll go right. X takes the center. Hope your aim is good.” 

They leap into action. The plan goes exactly as predicted. Red X lobs sticky goo at the soldiers, who cry out in surprise when they find their limbs are now attached to the ground. In a flash, Ladybug and Chat strip the soldiers of their weapons, dumping an armful of guns on the sidewalks. 

The police quickly rounds up the attackers with the help of the heroes. Chat notices a clothing patch on the ground and picks it up, showing it to Ladybug. 

“This must be their symbol,” he notes. “What do you think it means?” 

A nearby soldier sneers at them, bold despite the fact that his hands are tied behind his back. 

“The Lions send their regards,” he says, before he is dragged away into a police car. 

“Make sure to interrogate them thoroughly,” Ladybug urges the chief. He looks at the heroes wearily. 

“Rest assured, Ladybug, we know how to do our job.” 

The implication behind his words is not lost. The heroes look around them at the damage the city sustained tonight. The streets are covered in rubble and there are bullets on the ground that cannot be cleared by a Lucky Charm. 

Red X returns to their side and Ladybug looks at him grimly. 

“What was that you said about bad press?” 

-x-

Sure enough, the next day in class, the air is tense. A good third of the students are not present, kept at home by their parents for the day. Most notably, Adrien’s seat is empty. 

“His dad is really upset about how the school handled the Portal Master situation,” Nino explains to Alya and Marinette. “And now with the attack last night...I’d be surprised if Mr. Agreste lets Adrien leave the house this month!” 

“It’s not that bad, right?” Marinette picks at a loose thread nervously. “The police were able to control the situation, and no one was hurt.” 

“Yeah, but people are terrified.” Alya shakes her head. “The Ladyblog actually overloaded this morning. Too many people are online, talking about what happened.”

Marinette gulps, expecting the worst. “What did they say?”

“I’ve never seen people this divided about Ladybug and Chat Noir. They say the heroes obviously don’t know how to handle real threats.” 

“Oh…” Marinette looks down, heart sinking. 

“Hey, don’t let it get you down, Marinette.” Alya places a comforting hand on her friend’s shoulder. “Ladybug and Chat Noir need our support now more than ever.” 

Mr. Roux enters the room then, taking roll. Even he seems mildly disturbed by the sudden drop in attendance. As he begins the lesson, Marinette keeps her fists clenched under the table, determined to keep her thoughts positive like Alya said. 

-x-

Unfortunately, the masked heroes need more than luck. 

“Chat!” Ladybug yells. “Watch out!”

She flicks out her wrist, using her yo-yo to knock out a soldier with a knife aimed right at Chat’s unprotected back when he’s distracted, blocking punches from another assailant. 

They’ve almost made it to the top floor of a building where several hostages are being held. Each level is filled with guards and it hasn’t been easy fighting their way up, especially since they decided not to use any special abilities. The last thing they need is to power down as soon as they rescue the hostages. 

Red X manages to bind the last soldier with his x-shaped restraints. The three pause for a moment, taking deep breaths. All of them are more exhausted than they’d like to admit. 

“There’s one more floor,” Chat groans. “Tell me there isn’t a final boss.” 

“Unfortunately, I think there might be,” Ladybug grimaces, pressing the elevator button. “Stay on your guard. They clearly set up this trap for a reason.” 

The elevator doors open on the roof ominously. The hostages sit in the center, tied up and gagged. They don’t look relieved to see the heroes. 

“Don’t move,” X warns under his breath. “Someone else is here.” 

Sure enough, another figure steps in front of the hostages, blocking their view. Commander Nemean chuckles sinisterly, face split with a wide grin. 

“Here are the infamous heroes! So glad you could come.” 

They glance at one another, thrown off by his confidence. 

“Did Hawkmoth send you?” Red X asks. 

“We’re in contact,” Nemean responds. “But no. We don’t take our orders from him.” 

“What do you want then?” Chat narrows his eyes. “I imagine you don’t kidnap innocent people for fun.” 

Nemean laughs again. “No, certainly not. I just thought this would be a good opportunity to introduce ourselves.” 

He begins to pace. Ladybug reaches for her yo-yo, but X shakes his head at her. 

“We are the Lions of Babylon. We want something simple: for you three to stop playing heroes and come with us.” 

“Not a chance,” Ladybug declares. “This is our city, and we’ll protect it for as long as we need to.” 

“Or as long as you’re able.” Nemean clasps his hands behind his back. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you.” 

Ladybug and Chat charge at him just as a shot rings out from the distance. Red X chokes in pain, clutching his shoulder as he falls to the ground. 

“No!” the other two shout. 

Chat turns quickly and rushes towards Nemean, cataclysm activated as he swipes at the commander. Nemean side steps with surprising agility. Meanwhile, Ladybug shakes off her shock when she sees X waving at her weakly to continue the plan. She rushes towards the hostages and quickly unties them. 

At that same moment, several police helicopters descend on the roof, spotlights shining on Nemean’s face. He simply smiles in response. 

“Time is running out, Ladybug!” he shouts, and jumps off the roof. 

Ladybug and Chat gasp, running over to the side just in time to see that Nemean has merely dropped onto a balcony, re-entering the building through an open window in order to make his escape. 

“Let him go,” Chat says. “We have to make sure everyone else is alright.”    


Ladybug gasps, remembering. “X!” 

Chat’s ring beeps urgently. “I’m going to help get the hostages free but then I’m afraid I have to head home, my lady.” 

Ladybug pulls him into a tight hug. “Thank you for fighting by my side, Chat.” She releases him, smiling a little at his dazed expression. She nudges him gently. “Stay safe, Chat.” 

He nods. Ladybug runs back to X’s side, helping him up. He’s managed to place some sort of seal over his wound but he still lost a lot of blood.

“We need to get you patched up,” she murmurs.

They wind up back at the Dupain-Cheng residence. X has nearly passed out at this point, so Ladybug figures it’s alright for him to be there. He likely won’t remember much, once the shock has gotten to him. 

She makes him sit on the toilet, clearing the floor so blood doesn’t stain anything but the tile. Grabbing her first aid kit from the cupboard, she takes a deep breath and takes off the seal. 

“Ouch,” she winces. It’s an ugly wound. The bullet has clearly embedded itself in the skin and the bleeding hasn’t quite stopped. 

“I don’t know how to deal with this!” Marinette sinks to her knees, pressing her palms to her forehead. “I’ve never been shot. Or had to help someone who was shot…”

She takes deep breaths, trying to calm herself down. 

“Okay...Master Fu will know what to do. We’ll go there tomorrow.” 

“Master...Fu?” X mumbles deliriously. “Who…”

Just then, there is a knock on her bedroom door. Ladybug whirls around, panicked. 

“Marinette?” her mother calls. “Alya and Nino are here.” 

“What?” she breathes. Immediately she remembers that she promised her friends could come over for a movie tonight, all eager to get their mind off grim events. 

“Oh no, what do I do?”

“Marinette?” Mrs. Dupain-Cheng calls again. 

“I’ll be right there!” she squeaks, praying that X hasn’t registered the name at all. She takes a deep breath, quickly grabbing gauze from the kit. After a moment of hesitation, she presses it to the wound, wrapping it tightly and applying pressure.

X groans in pain and Ladybug winces. 

“Sorry,” she mutters. “I only know that I need to stop the bleeding somehow.” 

She quickly finishes the work, washes her hands thoroughly, then exits the bathroom. She makes sure to close the door firmly behind her. She takes a deep breath and powers down.

Marinette arrives downstairs to see Alya and Nino already on the couch, popcorn in hand. 

“Come on!” Alya waves. “We almost started without you.” 

“Where’s Adrien?” Marinette asks. 

“Couldn’t come,” Nino shrugs. “Dad said no or something. I’m not surprised.”

“My mom almost didn’t let me come.” Alya shakes her head. “Have you seen the news?” 

“Oh yeah...maybe we should’ve cancelled.” Marinette sinks into the couch weakly. 

“Nah, I’m not gonna let any bad guys ruin my happiness. Come on, enough about that! We’re doing this to keep our minds off that stuff.” 

There’s a thump from upstairs. All heads turn to look. 

“What was that?” Nino frowns. 

“Uh, I’ll go check!” Marinette bolts back to her room. 

She finds X on the floor of the bathroom, trying to crawl out. 

“What are you doing?” she hisses, straining to pull him back up. Tikki floats around her worriedly. 

“Marinette, what if he sees your face?” she wrings her hands.

“We can’t worry about that now. He needs rest.” 

She lays him down on the floor of the bathroom, grabbing one of the pillows from her bed to put under his head. Alya and Nino give her weird looks as she makes several more trips up and down the stairs to grab ice, blankets, and towels. 

In the end, X passes out, but his breathing seems to be even. Marinette considers taking off his mask to check, but decides against it. If she can protect her identity, he deserves to too. 

Exhausted, Marinette sinks to the floor, knees pulled to her chest. 

“What have we gotten ourselves into?” she asks Tikki, burying her head in her arms.


	9. Scarred

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ladybug and Chat Noir receive a warning from Master Fu as the Lions raise the stakes higher than ever before.

“You’ve certainly proven your point.” Hawkmoth smiles, fingers tapping against his cane excitedly. “They didn’t know what hit them.”

“We’ll weed them out soon enough,” Nemean says on the screen. “Red X is injured, and the children are outmatched. They’ll play right into our hands soon enough.” 

“This situation turned out better than expected.” 

“Indeed. The Lions will proceed with the next phase of our mission. I trust that you will provide any aid we require.” 

Hawkmoth nods. “Of course. I am eager to discuss the strategy with you, Commander Nemean.”

“Our plans are set in stone. Nothing will change. We simply require your monetary support and connections with the authorities to see that everything goes smoothly.” 

The masked villain frowns. “How can you be so sure that your plan will work?” 

“Do you question us now?” 

“No, but this is a partnership, correct? I know the value of teamwork.” 

“As do we. Phase Two has been fully developed and approved by our head tacticians. I assure you, Hawkmoth, you needn’t worry. We are very skilled at what we do.” 

Hawkmoth holds his tongue, keeping his reservations to himself for the time being. It would better not to step on their toes. Not when he’s seen what they can do.

“Very well,” he taps his cane once again. “Tell me what you need. I am sure that your authority is solid, Commander.” 

“We Lions are good at following orders.” Nemean’s face retreats further into shadow, unreadable. “You can place your confidence in us.” 

-x-

Alya yawns, stretching her arms. “That was a good movie! Glad we took the time to do this.” 

“Yeah, maybe we can make this a weekly thing!” Nino suggests. “Hopefully Adrien can join us next time.” 

They look at Marinette, expecting a reaction to her crush’s name, but she stares blankly ahead, mindlessly watching the credits scroll across the screen. 

“Uh, earth to Marinette?” Alya waves a hand in her face. Marinette snaps back to reality.

“Sorry guys, I’m exhausted.” She smiles sheepishly. 

“We’ll let you rest then.” Alya pats her friend’s head affectionately. “Sleep well!” 

She starts walking towards the door with Nino, Marinette groggily trailing behind to see them out. But before the two can even turn the doorknob, Mrs. Dupain-Cheng walks into the kitchen.

“Oh good, the movie’s over. Time for bed then!” 

“Yes, thank you for having us over, Mrs. Dupain-Cheng.” Nino waves. 

Mrs. Dupain-Cheng frowns. “Where do you think you’re going?” 

Alya freezes. “Home?” 

Marinette’s mother rushes over, shaking her head. “No, I already promised your parents that you would stay here tonight. We don’t want you going home alone, so late at night.”

The kids glance at each other.

“Well, as long as it’s alright with you, I don’t see why not.” Alya shrugs. 

“I’ll grab pillows and blankets and you can camp out here tonight!” Mrs. Dupain-Cheng bustles around, gathering sleepover supplies. “Marinette, you should join them as well, if you’d like.” 

Marinette leans against the wall, thinking about Red X up in her room, with a bullet wound in his shoulder she doesn’t know how to deal with. She realizes she would rather not be alone tonight.

“Yeah…” she responds. “That sounds like a good idea.” 

-x-

The next morning, Marinette wakes up before the others. A quick check on Red X confirms that he is luckily still alive, though his face is now beaded with sweat and he sleeps fitfully.

“Hang on, X,” she mumbles, placing a cool cloth on his forehead. “Master Fu will fix you up.” 

She walks back downstairs to find Alya and Nino sitting at the table with her mother in the kitchen, making breakfast. 

“Good morning,” Mrs. Dupain-Cheng greets. 

“Morning, Mom,” Marinette responds, joining her friends. 

“How did you all sleep?” 

Nino stretches. “Like a baby. As soon as my head hit the pillow I was out.” 

“Good, I’m glad you were comfortable.” Mrs. Dupain-Cheng sets down plates of bread and jam, among other delicious breakfast foods. “Dig in! “ 

The kids don’t hesitate. The eat heartily, conversing easily. Jokes and laughter fill the Dupain-Cheng’s kitchen. 

“Marinette, you’re zoning out again.” Alya’s voice breaks into Marinette’s thoughts, which were, indeed, preoccupied with the day’s plans. 

“Sorry, what were you saying?” 

Alya adjusts her glasses. “Do you think it’s unrealistic that Superman can hide his identity the way he does?” 

“Of course it is!” Nino throws up his hands. “He literally just puts on glasses. It’s so obvious.” 

“Hiding in plain sight is his tactic,” Alya argues. “No one ever suspects the unassuming reporter.” 

They put their heads together and look at Marinette for her input. She swallows a bigger chunk of bread than she should have and coughs into her hand. 

“Alya’s right,” she finally says, a smile tugging at her lips. “Glasses are a perfectly reasonable disguise.” 

Her best friend whoops in victory and Nino groans, bringing up yet another defense. 

Alya pulls her phone out of her pocket, then realizes it won’t turn on. “Wait, Marinette can I borrow your phone charger? Mine ran out of battery overnight.” 

Marinette grabs the cable for her. Alya’s phone restarts, and then starts lighting up with notifications. She grabs her phone to stop it from vibrating loudly against the table. 

“Whoa, what happened last night?” She scrolls through the notifications, skimming the headlines with the speed of a seasoned journalist, picking out keywords. 

“Wait...Red X was shot?” 

Marinette swallows. “Yeah...there was a confrontation with the Lions.”

“This is big news!” Alya leaps up from her chair. “I can’t believe I missed this. The Ladyblog needs to be updated right away!” 

She shoves the last of breakfast into her mouth and gets up to leave.

“This was fun, but time to catch up with the rest of the world!” 

“Speak for yourself,” Nino sighs. “I’ve got so much work to do. See you later, Marinette!” 

Marinette waves her friends goodbye. She too has homework on her plate, but that is the least of her concerns at the moment. She rushes up to her room as soon as the doors close. 

“Tikki, let’s go!” 

Now transformed, Ladybug hits Red X lightly on the face a few times to wake him up. He blinks blearily, sitting up. 

“What’s going on--ouch, damn that hurts like hell.” He winces at the pain in his shoulder. 

“I’m taking you to get your shoulder fixed up,” Ladybug explains.

X frowns. “No hospitals. I hope you’re not that stupid.” 

“Of course not. We’re going to see Master Fu.” 

“Who is Master Fu?” 

Ladybug  resists the urge to roll her eyes. “The more you talk, the longer it’ll take to find out. Now come on, I can’t carry you all the way.” 

-x-

“Target spotted. Tom & Sabine Boulangerie Patisserie.” 

Binoculars are trained on Ladybug and Red X as they stumble out of the bakery rooftop. Its user is an unassuming man dressed in black, no identification except a patch on his shoulder - one that is affiliated with the Lions of Babylon. 

“Excellent work, Agent Matthews.” Nemean’s voice crackles from the in-ear communicator. “We knew they would resurface sooner or later.” 

“Should we converge on the location?” another soldier asks through the radio. 

“No. Remain at your stations. Today’s mission is to observe, not capture.” 

Matthews turns the binoculars from the now-distant Ladybug and back to the bakery. He spots Alya and Nino talking animatedly outside the doors. 

“Commander, I spotted two teenagers exiting the patisserie only moments before Ladybug herself left the building. They are still there now.” 

Nemean considers this for a moment. “What do you think of it?” 

“This is simply a hunch, but it seems unlikely that teenagers would visit a bakery this early in the morning. It’s possible they have some connection to Ladybug. Perhaps she uses the attic as a hideout and they are her accomplices.”

“Sharp thinking, Agent Matthews. I believe this is exactly what we need.” 

-x-

Master Fu snores peacefully in his sleep, but snorts in surprise when he hears two short raps at the door. He grabs his cane and slowly makes his way to the entrance. When he sees Ladybug and Red X outside, he nods in understanding.

“Ah...I had a feeling you would be visiting soon. Come, bring him in.” 

Ladybug helps X into the living room, where Master Fu directs her to lay the masked vigilante on the mat. Relieved of her burden, Ladybug immediately pours out her concerns. 

“I’m sure you’ve heard about  last night by now,” she begins. “Red X was shot from behind. I...I’ve never had to deal with something like this before.” 

“You were right to bring him here.” Master Fu gently turns X onto his stomach, revealing the bullet wound. 

“I wrapped it as best I could. But I didn’t dare remove the bullet.” 

“Worry not, child. You did nothing wrong. He will be alright.” 

Ladybug kneels next to Master Fu as he waves his hands over X’s body, reading his energies.

“The world has become dangerous for you and Chat Noir,” Fu continues. “I was hoping to speak with you both about it.” 

“Have you seen something?” Ladybug frowns. 

Master Fu’s kwami, Wayzz, flits out from the other room. “I’m afraid so,” he chirps. “But for the first time, we don’t know what it means, or what we can do about it.” 

Master Fu unwraps the bandages and a hiss of pain from X interrupts the conversation. Everyone’s attention is turned back to the injury. 

“I will remove the bullet now,” Fu announces. “Here, hold this for the pain.” 

He places a rubber ball in his patient’s hand. X squeezes it experimentally and grimaces. 

“Ladybug, you may not want to see this.” 

Master Fu makes quick work of the bullet removal and Ladybug averts her eyes, arms crossed while she distracts herself with house decor. X grits his teeth throughout the entire process and manages not to pass out. 

Placing a final layer of gauze over the treated wound, Fu pats X’s other shoulder reassuringly. 

“Rest here for a few hours. Your body needs energy to heal.” 

“You don’t have to tell me twice, gramps.” X closes his eyes and nods off. 

“Ladybug, let us talk elsewhere.” 

She follows Master Fu into an adjacent room. He makes tea and she accepts it gratefully. 

“Master Fu,” Ladybug begins slowly. “Did your premonition have anything to do with the Lions of Babylon?” 

The old man’s face grows grim. “We sensed that an outsider would arrive in Paris, yes. But the Lions of Babylon...aren’t exactly what we expected.” 

“What are they after? The miraculouses?” 

“I’m afraid this is even more grim than Hawkmoth’s hunger for power. This outsider...feels familiar, somehow.”

“An old enemy then? But I can’t think of anyone that could be.” 

They sit in silence for a moment, tea growing cold in their laps. Master Fu sighs and places hand over Ladybug’s.

“Be wary, Ladybug. You are facing a greater threat than ever before.” 

As if on cue, an urgent beep sounds from Ladybug’s communicator, notifying her of an incoming call from Chat Noir. 

“Chat? What’s going on?” 

“You have to come here, now.” His eyes are wide with panic. “Alya and Nino have been kidnapped.” 

-x-

“How did they know?” Ladybug fights to keep her voice steady, but it shakes with fear. Never before have villains specifically targeted their friends like this. 

“I don’t know.” Chat paces around the roof restlessly. “Alya runs the Ladyblog and we’ve saved both of them a few times, so maybe they thought we had some sort of personal connection to them.” 

“We were so careful, Chat! Protecting our identities, being careful not to reveal any relationships...this should never have happened!” Ladybug takes a few deep breaths to calm herself. 

Her expression sets, resigned. “We have to do it.” 

Chat grimaces. “We can’t give them the miraculouses.” 

“If it will ensure their safety then--” 

“No!” Chat stops abruptly in front of Ladybug. “This is exactly what they want us to do. They have us emotionally compromised so that we’ll do anything, even if it’s irrational.”

“What else are we supposed to do?” Ladybug sobs. “They could hurt them, my--” She catches herself. “-- _ our _ friends. People we swore to protect.” 

“You think I don’t know that?” Chat runs his fingers through his hair. “Alya and Nino have been good allies in the past, but we have to treat this like any other hostage situation. If we relinquish our miraculouses, then Ladybug and Chat Noir won’t be around anymore to help whoever gets captured next. Not to mention that whatever happens if the Lions or Hawkmoth gets their hands on the artifacts will be far worse than a kidnapping.” 

“They have weapons, strategists...we’re just two kids with a little luck on our side.” Ladybug slides down the wall, burying her head in her knees miserably. 

“Don’t lose hope, my lady.” Chat squats down and places a comforting hand on her shoulder. “A little luck can go a long way.” 

Ladybug takes a long shuddering breath. “You’re right.” She shakes herself. “We have to stay strong. For Alya...Nino...all of Paris.” 

Chat gives her a small smile. “There’s the Ladybug I know and love. Come on...let’s beat them at their own game.” 

-x-

They meet in the middle of a large intersection, blocked off by the Lions. Alya and Nino sit at the center, tied together with rope, with Nemean at their side. This rendezvous is intended to be public.

Nemean glances at his watch. It’s nearly two o’clock now. 

“Perhaps your precious heroes really left you here to die,” he chuckles lowly. “A shame. I hope to avoid a public execution.” 

Nino gulps, while Alya glares fiercely at the commander. She wriggles her fingers to try and reach the phone in her back pocket. 

The clock begins to toll. 

“Time’s up!” Nemean roars. “Reveal yourselves!” 

A flash of black and red descends into the intersection. Ladybug and Chat stand back to back, without their weapons drawn. 

“You wanted us? Well here we are!” Ladybug shouts. 

“A pleasure to see you,” Nemean smiles. “Today, you are the stars of the show. The whole world is eager to see your unmasking.” 

“I wouldn’t be so sure,” Chat growls. He throws down a smoke bomb and the entire intersection fills with dark, opaque smoke. 

The heroes split up. Ladybug whips out her yo-yo and rushes for Nemean, while Chat hurries to untie their friends. 

“You will regret the choice you made!” Nemean shouts in fury. He pulls out a knife from his belt and duels with Ladybug, blade against string. Ladybug is far more agile than he, but Nemean’s moves are swift and calculated, based on experience from years of combat. 

“Get out of here,” Chat urges Alya and Nino, cutting the ropes. As fast as you can!” 

He immediately turns around to join Ladybug in the fight with Nemean, using his staff to knock the commander painfully on the head. 

_ Bang! Bang! _ Nemean fires two shots from a small handgun at the heroes, forcing them to dive towards the pavement. He uses the distraction to run for a getaway car. 

“You’re not getting away that easy!” Ladybug shouts. 

They hear a scream from the other direction. Alya and Nino struggle against several Lions soldiers who are dragging them into the back of a moving truck. The door slams with finality and the truck peels off at the same time that Nemean starts his engine. 

“He’s trying to split us up,” Chat realizes. “We’re stronger when we fight together.” 

“We have no choice.” Ladybug starts swinging her yo-yo. “Come find me once you free Alya and Nino!”

Anxiety claws at Chat’s gut, but unfortunately, this is their best course of action. The heroes break off in opposite directions: Chat in pursuit of the hostages and Ladybug hot on Nemean’s trail. 

It’s a high speed chase like no other. Chat leaps off his staff and onto the back of a traveling car. The driver yells in surprise, but Chat waves at him through the window apologetically. He continues jumping from vehicle to vehicle until he reaches the truck where his friends are being held. 

The truck swerves dangerously, taking a hard left turn onto a suspension bridge. Chat narrowly avoids being hit by traffic as he swings onto another car taking a left turn. He uses the momentum to propel him onto the back of the truck. 

Inside, he can hear Alya and Nino’s panicked shouts as the truck weaves between traffic at high speeds. Chat curses when he finds that the door is locked. 

“Do I have time to use cataclysm?” he mutters. He raises his claws, poised to activate his abilities, then a soldier’s head pokes out of the side door with a gun and fires at him.

Chat yelps, narrowly dodging the bullets. He loses his balance and slips from the back of the truck just as a car brakes hard, tires squealing as it knocks into the moving truck. 

The force of the impact knocks Chat off the bridge. He screams as he drops down, down, down towards the dark swirling water underneath. 


	10. Black Steel, Red Chains

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Miraculous heroes rush to save their friends before time runs out.

The only thing Chat would regret is that he spends too much time screaming, rather than contemplating his life before he hits the water. 

After all, he’s lived a fulfilling life. It hasn’t always been easy, but not even his father could keep him away from moments of happiness. He’s laughed with friends, saved Paris a couple of times. At this point, Chat can say with confidence that he’s content, with more than enough hope for the future. 

Which is why he really, really doesn’t want to die.  

Helplessly, Chat falls backwards, eyes blown wide in search of anything -  _ please, something _ \- he can use to catch his fall. 

_ There’s no time.  _

And so, he screams, waiting for the inevitable impact and then, nothingness. 

It never comes.

Instead, he feels himself being yanked  _ upwards _ , counteracting the momentum of the fall until he finds himself dangling just under the bridge.

Chat looks at his left arm, now covered in red goo, connected to a rope held up by none other than Red X. 

X starts pulling on the rope, bringing Chat closer and closer to the bridge. Chat quickly grabs onto the rope with his other hand to relieve some of the burning in his muscles; something is definitely torn, but he’s alive, and that’s what matters. 

He falls onto the safety of concrete with a groan, struggling to detach himself from the goo. 

“When did you get here?” he manages to say. 

“Just before you took a dive,” X says. “Had to improvise quickly.”

“Thanks.” Chat moves his joints experimentally and winces when his shoulder protests. 

“Now we’re even.” 

X points in the distance, where they can just barely make out the headlights of the moving truck. 

“We’re gonna have to move fast if you still want to save your friends.” 

Chat nods, determined. “Let’s go.” 

X helps him up. “Come on, I have an idea.” 

Chat finds himself zipping through traffic on a motorcycle, which he’s not sure even belongs to X, but now is not the right time to ask that question. They weave in between cars, quickly catching up to the moving truck. Chat’s heart hammers in his throat; he could never forgive himself if his friends were hurt because of him. 

“Get ready!” X yells over the wind. They pull up next to the truck, nearly hugging the side of the vehicle, and Chat leaps off the motorcycle. He lands with a thump on the back door and brings his hand, pulsing with cataclysmic energy, to the lock. 

It shatters. He quickly pulls up the door, entering the truck. Alya and Nino yell in shock, but relax when they see who it is. 

“Chat Noir!” 

“Hold onto something!” Chat shouts. They barely have a minute to process his order when the moving truck careens to the side and comes to a screeching halt. Boxes fly out of the back and onto the road, the three teenagers shaken but otherwise unharmed. 

From the front, they can hear the sound of scuffling, no doubt between the Lions and Red X. 

“Run,” Chat tells his friends. “As fast as you can. Get to the police and tell them what happened.” 

“What about you?” Nino asks. 

“I’ve still got to deal with the Lions. Don’t worry about me!” Chat gives them a confident smile. 

They scramble out of the truck, running down the street holding hands. Chat watches them go with a quizzical expression, wondering if there’s something more going on.

He realizes too late that he let his attention to drift to a high schooler’s simple concerns, that he didn’t notice the fighting behind him had died out until he feels something solid connect with his head and blacks out completely. 

-x-

Ladybug lands on the hood of Nemean’s car, making her presence unavoidable. He glares at her through the windshield, veering sharply into an alleyway. He realizes his mistake too late and crashes right into a row of trash cans. 

“Fine,” Nemean spits, slamming the car door shut. He pulls on a strange rubbery gauntlet. “If it’s a rematch you want, you’ll get it.” 

They circle each other, waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike. This time, Ladybug moves first, aiming for his knees. He dodges easily, moving forward with a punch. 

Ladybug just narrowly misses a direct hit to her face. As the gauntlet passes by, she realizes it’s glowing with a familiar black energy. 

Startled, she leaps backwards on top of a trash can. 

“How is that possible?” she gasps. 

Nemean chuckles, flexing his hand experimentally. “You children aren’t the only ones with fancy toys. I think this will even the playing field nicely.” 

He lunges forward again, cataclysm crumbling the trash can into dust. Ladybug leaps onto a fire escape and he pursues her, destroying everything in his path. The gauntlet doesn’t seem to run out of energy. 

“You can’t run forever, Ladybug!” Nemean shouts. 

She flips over him, quickly turning to deliver a swift kick to his stomach. He flies back into his car, bracing himself with one arm. The vehicle crumbles, but the commander doesn’t seem fazed. 

Slowly, he backs her into the corner. 

“You’ve been an itch in my side I’ve been dying to scratch,” Nemean snarls. He raises his gauntlet threateningly. Ladybug searches for a way out, but one wrong move and Nemean could land a fatal blow. 

“Chat,” she mutters under her breath. “Where are you?” 

Suddenly Nemean screams in pain, clutching his ear. His gauntlet shuts off, rendering it useless. Ladybug stares in shock as he drops to his knees. She can hear faint shouting from his ear, the crackle of static making the words hard to distinguish. 

“...not...Ladybug! We...alive…” 

“I understand!” Nemean shouts, gritting his teeth through the pain. “I’ll capture her alive.” 

“...orders...! This insubordination...not...tolerated!” 

“I’m sorry! This won’t happen again.” 

Ladybug manages to shake herself out of her frozen, confused state. She runs out of the alleyway, leaving Nemean behind, begging whoever terrified him so much to spare him for his mistake. 

-x-

Chat Noir jerks awake. He immediately takes stock of his surroundings, noticing that he’s in the middle of a sizeable room, moonlight filtering through the windows. He tries to move, but realizes he’s chained up. 

Someone groans. Chat cranes his neck to see who it is. He can’t see the other person’s face but based on the black body suit, he assumes it’s Red X. Figures. 

“Are you awake?” he whispers. 

“Why are you whispering?” X shouts, squirming in the chains. “We’re trapped anyways we might as well let ‘em hear what we have to say.” 

“Stop moving so much!” Chat scowls, jabbing his elbow into X’s side as best as he can. 

“At least I’m trying to get us free,” X retorts. “Can’t you...use that claw ability thingy--” 

“Cataclysm?” 

X snorts derisively. “God, of course that’s what it’s called, you and your damn puns--yes! Just break these chains and let’s get the hell out of here before they find out we’re awake.” 

Chat deflates. “I can’t. I used it once already and my powers are running out. If I try to use it again I’ll probably transform before I even have a chance to destroy anything.” 

“There’s a time limit?” X explodes. “Who made up these rules?”

Chat shrugs. “That’s just what Master Fu told me.” 

“Oh. That old man?” X sighs. “I can’t even be mad now, he saved my life.” 

They fall into silence. Chat desperately racks his brain for a plan, while X continues pondering the seemingly unreasonable terms of Miraculous powers. 

“Pro tip? FIgure out the rules of the game before you agree to play it. Like this suit? I stole it, but I made sure I knew exactly what I was getting into.” 

“It seemed reasonable to me,” Chat mutters. “I’m given a lot of power, but it has to have its limits.”

“Sure, be all righteous about it or whatever, but you have to admit that having your powers right now would get us out of these chains in seconds.” 

Chat sighs. “I know. Guess we’ll have to rely on our brains now.” 

“I rely on my brain and my brain relies on my gadgets.” 

X looks down, realizing that his utility belt is gone. “They took that too? Great. We’re really stuck.”

There’s a familiar urgent beeping noise. Chat stares at his ring with panic. “Listen, I’m going to lose my powers in a matter of minutes, so unless you have some camembert lying around we’d better start thinking of a plan!” 

“Why do you need camembert?” X frowns, then shakes his head. “You know what? I don’t even want to know.” 

“I have increased strength as Chat Noir...maybe I can just break out with brute force?” 

Chat strains against the chains, but they hold strong. X sighs. 

“Listen kid...I think they’ve really got us beat this time.” 

Chat slumps, feeling his superhero persona slip away from his body until he’s back as Adrien, the last person he’d like to be in this current situation. 

“Yeah,” he admits, defeated. “I know.” 

-x-

Ladybug runs into the police station, relieved to see Alya and Nino seated in the waiting area, giving their testimony to a police officer. 

“I’m so glad you’re safe!” She rushes to give them a hug, not even caring that it might seem too friendly, too familiar. 

“Where’s Chat?” she asks, releasing her friends. 

Alya and Nino look at one another, guilty. 

“He told us to run to safety. I’m not sure where he is now,” Alya admits. 

Ladybug’s blood runs cold. She has a bad feeling about this. 

“If Chat had gotten away from the Lions, then he would have rendezvoused here for sure.” Ladybug frowns. “The Lions must have overpowered him after you left.” 

“I’m sorry,” Nino blurts. “We should have stayed to help.” 

“No! No, no,” Ladybug reassures him. “It was more important to make sure you were safe, and that the police got a full account of what happened. Chat will be fine.” 

_ I hope _ , are the words she doesn’t include. There’s no use in making Alya and Nino more panicked than they already are, but Chat could be anywhere in Paris by now. Who knows where the Lions would decide to take him? 

“Monsieur,” she asks the policeman behind the counter. “Could I get access to the traffic cameras around the time Alya and Nino escaped?” 

“Sure thing,” the policeman agrees, typing rapidly. “It’ll just be a moment.” 

Soon they are all crowded around the computer screen, squinting at grainy security footage. Ladybug notices something right away, pausing the playback. 

“Wait, Red X was there?” 

Alya and Nino shrug. “We heard some fighting going on but we assumed it was you, or some policemen.” 

“How did he get out of bed so fast?” Ladybug mutters. “Alright, let’s keep watching.”

They see the moment when Chat is knocked out by the Lions, which visibly upsets Alya and Nino, despite Ladybug’s comforting words. “There was nothing you could do,” she says, but they can’t help but feel guilty for the whole situation. 

X and Chat are loaded into the back of the truck just as police sirens start to sound in the distance. The Lions quickly shout orders and continue on their way. 

“Can we follow them?” Ladybug asks, desperately lunging for the mouse. 

“It looks like they specifically avoided traffic cameras after this point.” The policeman shakes his head.. “They’ve disappeared.” 

“Then we’re stuck.” Ladybug flops down into a chair. “The Lions will go back in hiding before we can tear apart Paris in search of them.” 

“Eventually they’ll ask for ransom money, right?” Alya muses. “Or some other kind of blackmail. Whatever it is they want. It’s really only a matter of time before they come out of hiding.” 

“But then we are completely at the Lion’s mercy,” Ladybug grimaces. 

She gets up, pacing back and forth around the police station. She looks out the window and sends out a silent wish.

_ Please, Chat. Please find a way to send us a clue. _

As if on cue, Alya’s phone suddenly chirps brightly with a notification. They all jump and Alya quickly turns off the sound, facing turning red with embarrassment. 

“Sorry, I just posted about what happened,” she explains sheepishly. “Eyewitness accounts always get a lot of buzz on the Ladyblog.” 

“It’s fine.” Ladybug smiles. She’s always admired her best friend’s dedication to a good story, even after putting her life in the direct line of danger. 

Alya mumbles to herself as she scrolls through message boards, when she suddenly gasps. 

“Ladybug!” She holds up her phone. “You have to see this!” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're halfway there! I couldn't resist leaving it on a cliffhanger yet again...


	11. Red Sky at Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Trapped at the Concierge, Red X and Chat Noir need to learn how to work together.

About twenty minutes after Chat Noir is forced to power down, Red X lets out a frustrated yell. Adrien nearly jumps out of his skin, having been dozed off briefly. He’s wide awake now, senses jumping into high-gear for any signs of danger. 

“What, what’s wrong?” he sputters.

“This whole situation is ridiculous,” X spits. “I’m not sitting around any longer, waiting for these Lions to make us their next lunch. We’re gonna get out of here.”

Adrien slumps. “How? We don’t have any weapons, and I can’t transform back into Chat--”

“Big whoop. What kind of vigilantes are we if we can’t do anything without our fancy gadgets?”

“Hey! I’m not a vigilante,” Adrien frowns. 

He doesn’t need to see X’s face to know that he’s rolling his eyes. “Whatever helps you sleep at night.” 

“We save people! We don’t break the laws or purposely hurt people to get what we want.” 

The chains rattle while X squirms, like he’s trying to turn and look Adrien in the eye. 

“Here’s the truth, kid. Anytime you put on a mask and leap around the city, you’re gonna be considered a vigilante. Doesn’t matter if you’re on the side of the law or not. I’ve seen what people have been saying about you guys--”

“--yeah, no thanks to you,” Adrien scoffs. 

“--and the citizens will never be happy with people like us. We’ll always be too overpowered, or too passive. Too corrupt, or in everyone’s business. We are  _ vigilantes _ .”

Adrien’s anger deflates. “You’re right. No way around it.”

“People are stupid. That’s why I don’t care what they think--”

“Shh!” Adrien hushes him suddenly. 

A flashlight shines into the room, followed by the clipped, authoritative walk of a guard on duty. 

“I have an idea,” Adrien murmurs. “I need you to get the guard to come closer to us.”

“I see where you’re going with this....alright then.” 

X clears this throat, then begins to shout at the top of his lungs. “Hey! You there! Get your ugly face here right now!”

The guard pauses. Adrien glares in X’s direction. 

“Could you be more obvious?” he hisses. 

“Trust me, I know what I’m doing,” X whispers back. 

Sure enough, the guard moves forward. As he draws closer, Adrien can see a sneering face under the visor of a uniform cap. 

“Looks like the prisoners need some manners knocked into ‘em,” the guard snickers. He shines the light directly into their faces, then frowns upon spotting Adrien.

“Wait. Who’re you?” 

Too late, Adrien realizes the flaw in his plans. 

“Uh,” he blinks. “What do you mean?”

“Didn’t we lock up Chat Noir?” The guard draws closer. “Where’d he go?”

“Oh you’ve never heard of hero-civilian swap?” X butts in. “It’s a very handy service.” 

“Argh, how did he escape? The boss ain’t gonna be happy about this!” 

Panicking, Adrien kicks the guard in the stomach. The guard gasps, flying backwards where his head cracks against the brick wall. 

“Well, that was easy.” X says. “They just don’t make ‘em as tough as they used to. But how do we get the key?” 

“Plagg, come on,” Adrien nudges the grumpy, exhausted kwami out of his pocket. “If you get the key, I can get you the camembert.” 

“No,” Plagg groans, floating to the floor.

“ _ Double _ the camembert,” Adrien begs. 

The kwami pries himself off the floor with much difficulty. He slowly inches along the floor. “Fine...but it better be…really quality stuff…” 

“How long is this gonna take?” X mutters. 

“Shut up,” Adrien frowns. “Be grateful he’s doing this for us.” 

A few minutes later, Plagg manages to drag the keys into Adrien’s hands, and they are freed. Adrien gasps with relief, rubbing his sore wrists. 

“We did it!” he grins. “Now let’s get out of--” he trails off, jaw dropping. 

“...here.” 

Red X turns, wearing only his black bodysuit...and no mask.

“Mr. Roux?” Adrien sputters. “ _ You’re _ Red X?”

“I wasn’t exactly subtle with the undercover name,” Roux scowls. “But I guess we’re even now.” 

“Wha--how--”

“Story for another day. Come on. We gotta find our stuff before both our identities are revealed.” 

Head still spinning from the revelation, Adrien has no choice but to follow. They creep through the dark hallways, ears listening for any sign of guards. 

“Where do you think your stuff is?” Adrien whispers. 

“Best case scenario, an unlocked, unguarded storage closet.” Roux responds. “Worst, and unfortunately most likely case, a room full of Lions waiting for their next snack.”

“You really gotta stop using these metaphors.” 

Roux extends an arm to stop Adrien from walking any farther. “Here.” 

Light filters into the hallway from a crack in the doorway. From inside, they can hear the faint chatter and jokes of guards relaxing on the clock. 

“We get in and out.” Roux explains quietly. “Knock everyone out, twice if you need to. Make sure they wake up with raging headaches and no memory of our faces.”

Adrien nods grimly. “Got it.” 

“Follow my lead, okay?” 

They wait just another moment for a guard to open the door with a bottle of whiskey in hand. His head is turned, still trying to have the last word in a friendly argument, so he doesn’t notice Roux appearing in front of him until a fist meets his nose. 

Immediately, all the guards in the room start to yell, tripping over one another to reach the door, hands fumbling for weapons. Adrien and Roux act quickly, using the small doorway to their advantage. Working in perfect tandem, they pull guards out into the hallway, unbuckling belts with remarkable speed to tie up their hands before they knock them cold.

Before long, there are several guards littered in the hallway, all unconscious. Roux and Adrien make quick work of dragging them back into the room. They notice the utility belt and Red X’s mask lying carelessly on the floor.

“‘No respect.” Roux gives the guards a dirty look, brushing the dirt off his equipment before suiting up as Red X once again. He carefully inspects the utility belt. 

“Wait a minute,” he mutters, before frisking every comatose guard. From their pockets come various weapons, previously stored in the belt. 

“They must have been gambling away my gadgets. Good thing they didn’t have a chance to use these.” X returns the gear to their rightful place. 

“So, now what?” Adrien asks. “I can’t exactly walk out of here as myself.” 

X surveys the room, then slowly nudges a guard’s body until it turns over. “Take someone’s uniform and put it on. Pull the cap low on your face. Even if the news cameras catch us, it’ll just seem like we put on disguises to escape.”

Adrien nods solemnly. “Good plan.”

They quickly zip into Lions combat uniforms. Adrien reaches into a pocket, fingers grasping the guard’s cellphone. Suddenly, he is struck with an idea. 

“Wait. I figured out a way to send a message out to Ladybug. If we can get the police here in time, they’ll have plenty evidence to use against the Lions.” 

“How are you going to do that?” X asks. 

Adrien holds up the cellphone with a grin. “Just leave it to me.”

-x-

Ladybug snatches the phone from Alya instantly, eyes flickering rapidly as she reads the words across the screen. 

“Chat Noir, you clever cat,” she murmurs. 

“Does it say where he is?” Alya asks, moving closer to see.

“Unfortunately, no,” Ladybug shakes her head. “But we can easily track these messages back to the source.”

Alya brightens. “Of course! I know exactly how to do that!” She marches over to the police desk with authority, shooing the policeman away from the chair. 

Ladybug smiles fondly. “It’s thanks to you that we came up with this idea, Alya.” 

“Really?” Alya pauses her typing just for a brief second to look at Ladybug, eyes wide. 

“Of course! The Ladyblog has always been a revolutionary communication channel. And secretly, I’ve hoped that you could lend us some of your hacking knowledge as well.” 

Alya grins, pushing her glasses up her nose and resuming work without another word, lines of code glinting across her glasses. 

Ladybug continues to explain. “Chat and I developed this plan a while back, just in case either of us ever got captured, but I had almost forgotten about it. Of course, it’s not the most reliable. If you aren’t able to find a useful smartphone then you’re out of luck. But he somehow managed to make it work!” 

“That’s exactly right!” Alya spins around triumphantly. “And I’ve got their location. They’re at the Concierge!” 

-x-

“Okay, we’ve got to move fast,” Adrien mutters, keeping his head lowered as he rushes through the Paris streets. 

“Whoa, what’s the rush?” Red X asks. “We already escaped! The Lions aren’t coming after us, believe me.” 

“We need to find a cheese shop so I can transform and get back to the Concierge to give our statements to the police.” 

“Oh hell no, I’m not going back there.” X stops in his tracks. “I already risked a lot going to save you, so there’s no way I’m handing myself over to the police on a silver platter.” 

“Well I’m not going to let you disappear again. Who knows what kind of trouble you could cause, and we have enough to deal with already!”

“Look, kid, I’m trying to stay under the radar. Why do you think I got a job as a substitute teacher, of all things?”

“Yeah, that’s still super weird,” Adrien fires back. “How did you  _ just so happen _ to get a job at  _ my _ school? What do you have up your sleeve?”

“You’re not showing a lot of gratitude to someone who just  _ saved your life _ ,”  X scowls. 

“Why are you even helping us?”

X takes a deep breath. “Here’s the thing. I’m happy to help you guys, even if we have our differences. If keeping you from dying means that this whole mess will be over soon, then I’m all for it. All I ask is that you leave me alone, and let me leave the country.”

Adrien laughs. “Yeah right.”

“I just want to get out of here. I’ll only take what Hawkmoth owes me and nothing more. Believe me, I’m never coming back to France.” 

“You can’t expect me to lie about your whereabouts.” 

“What’s there to lie about? I saved your life, and then I left. That’s it. You need my help, Chat Noir. Or, you know, you could enjoy being dead.”

Adrien groans. “Fine. I don’t like this, but I’ll admit that having you on our side is better than fighting against you. But if you break my trust again…” 

X holds up his hands. “Won’t even have a chance to. I really will be getting out of here as soon as I’m able. Trust goes both ways. I trust that you won’t arrest me, and in return, I’ll help you guys out. Sound good?”

There’s a pause. Adrien still isn’t sure. X almost rolls his eyes with impatience, but then: 

“Alright.” Adrien fixes X with a serious stare. “We’re in agreement. But before you go, I need you to help me with something.” 

-x-

It takes Mr. Roux, in civilian attire, only a few minutes to enter a cheese shop and buy some of their finest camembert. Chat Noir extends a gloved hand out to his companion. 

“I never thought I’d be saying this,” he begins, shaking his head, “but thank you. For everything you did today.” 

“I like you, Chat Noir.” Red X lowers the mask back onto his face. “Remember what I told you. I’ll see you in class.” 

And then he disappears into the night. 

After a moment, Chat swings himself onto the rooftop, traveling in the opposite direction, back to the Concierge. He tries to push away the uneasiness that has settled into his stomach. This should be a time for celebration, for claiming a victory against the Lions, but instead, he can’t help but feel that this is only the beginning of their troubles. 

Police lights flash across the front of the Concierge. Chat is happy to see that policemen are dragging still-disoriented Lions out of the building. 

“Chat!” Ladybug leaps up with joy as soon as he drops down to ground level. “I was so worried!” 

She tackles him with a hug. Chat allows himself to sink into her embrace, a welcome comfort after the stress of the day. 

“Where’s X?” she frowns. “Alya and Nino told me he was there.” 

Chat immediately deflates. He knew this question was coming. 

“He saved my life, and then he left,” Chat responds under his breath. “I’ll explain later. Try not to mention it to the police.”

“Ah, we’ve been waiting for you.” Lieutenant Raincomprix jogs over, breaking up their reunion. “We have some questions.”

“And I have answers!” Chat leans against the police car. “Ask away, monsieur.” 

The interrogation is an easy one. Chat explains how the Lions captured him and how he figured out how to escape, carefully brushing over any details of Red X’s involvement in the whole fiasco.

“You’re brilliant, Chat!” Ladybug beams. “And I’m surprised you remembered how to use the Ladyblog for clues.” 

“I almost didn’t,” Chat admits. “Don’t give me so much credit. But just as I was about to escape, I realized one of the guards had a cellphone. I figured, why not try and send a message? Ladybug might be able to contact the police before I can.”

“Well we certainly appreciate the head start.” Lieutenant Raincomprix flips his notebook closed. “If we need any more information, we’ll send a pigeon. You kids get on home now. I’m sure you’ve had an exhausting day.” 

“Tell me about it,” Ladybug sighs. “I can’t wait to sleep for a million years!” 

-x-

Unfortunately, school the next morning means an early wake-up call. Both Adrien and Marinette stumble into the room blearily. 

“Morning, Marinette,” Adrien manages to yawn.

She’s too tired to even blush. “Oh...hi Adrien. Long night?”

“Yeah...I procrastinated on homework.” 

There’s a huge crowd gathered around where they usually sit. Suddenly, they are both wide awake. 

“Sorry, coming through!” Adrien shouts, weaving his way through his classmates, with Marinette close behind. 

“Alya!” Marinette shouts, crushing her friend in a hug. “I was so worried.” Beside her, Adrien and Nino share a similar exchange. 

“Aw, I’m perfectly fine!” Alya laughs. “Ladybug and Chat Noir saved me. And you’ll never believe what happened…” 

Marinette and Adrien listen attentively as their friends recount their kidnapping story, dramatizing details to make the whole tale seem more adventurous and heroic. The two undercover heroes can’t help but laugh; what happened yesterday was a lot more terrifying than Alya and Nino make it seem, but it’s good that they can now move forward from it. 

“Alright, class. Settle down.” A huge stack of books thumps down on the table. When the class doesn’t immediately come to attention, Mr. Roux clear his throat dramatically for good measure.

The students reluctantly trail back to their seats. Adrien stares at Mr. Roux with a calculating look, which the teacher pointedly ignores. 

“I know last night was full of excitement, but only Alya and Nino are excused from homework. Everyone else, pull out your essays from last night. We will be peer-editing them in class.” 

Marinette and Adrien can only look at their blank assignment pages with horror. 

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Come say hi at [my blog](http://anavoli.tumblr.com).


End file.
